


The Surgeon Trap

by SerenBex



Category: Holby City
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-09-27
Packaged: 2018-12-19 03:14:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 21,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11888766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerenBex/pseuds/SerenBex
Summary: When Elinor Campbell and Charlotte Wolfe attend a residential drama course, a shock revelation means that their lives will never be the same again.A Berena fic based on The Parent Trap.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The Parent Trap was my favourite film as a child and re-watching it recently catapulted this idea into my head.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> x

“Have you got everything?” Serena asked for about the twelfth time since they’d left the house.

“Yes!” Elinor sighed, her gaze glued firmly to her phone. “It’s a bit late now if I haven’t, isn’t it?”

“And you double checked the list before we left? You have everything you need?”

“Yes, Mum.”

“I’m going to miss you so much, Ellie.”

“It’s only two weeks, Mum.” Her daughter replied with a smile. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

“I’d feel a lot happier if you were allowed to take your mobile so that we could check in.” Serena sighed, dreading the fourteen days where she would have no contact with her daughter.

“It’ll be fine.” Elinor promised. “If necessary I’ll find a phone and ring you, OK?”

“Promise?”

The fourteen-year-old laughed. “I promise, Mum. I’m going on a drama course, I’m not leaving you!”

Serena’s hands seemed to tighten on the steering wheel, but she recovered quickly and laughed. “A drama course full of teenagers? I don’t envy you at all. I’d rather spend the day with Guy Self.”

Elinor pulled a face. “Ouch.”

The rest of the relatively short drive passed too quickly for Serena’s liking. They pulled up outside a large Georgian building and Serena helped her daughter lug her bags out of the boot of the car. She teased Elinor about how much she’d brought for the two weeks she was going to be away, but the teenager simply shrugged and told her that looking as good as she did took a lot of effort. Laughing softly, Serena walked her to the reception and checked her in. Signing the relevant forms, she watched as Elinor rushed off to meet some of the other girls who were sharing her room. Realising that she hadn’t said goodbye to her mother, the teenager ran back and pressed a quick kiss to Serena’s cheek before she was gone again.

 

* * *

“For the last time, Charlotte!” Bernie shouted up the stairs. “If you don't get your bum down here we’re going to be late!”

“We’re already late.” Her daughter replied calmly, appearing on the landing with a holdall slung over her shoulder. “You said you’d be here an hour ago.”

“I’m sorry. There was an emergency and–”

“It’s fine. Gramps said he’d ring Fletch to take me if you weren’t back in time.” Charlotte told her with a shrug. “I’m glad you are, though.”

“Sorry, love. Shall we get going?”

Nodding, the fourteen-year-old jumped down the remaining few steps and followed her mother out of the house, pausing only to hug her grandfather tightly. Throwing her bag into the back, she climbed into the passenger’s seat and fiddled with the radio as her mother drove them through the streets of Cheltenham towards the Walden Hotel on the outskirts of Bristol where the drama course was being held.

“Are you sure you’ve got everything you need?” Bernie asked as they pulled up in the car park. “That is a very small bag for a teenager for two weeks.”

“I’ve got clothes, what else do I need?”

Bernie laughed. “That’s my girl.”

They went inside and Bernie dealt with the paperwork while Charlotte leant against the desk beside her. As soon as the teenager was checked in, her mother turned and shot her a lopsided grin. Rolling her eyes, Charlotte hugged her mother tightly, before pulling back and shouldering her holdall again.

“So, Fletch’ll be coming to pick you up because Gramps will be in that board meeting and I’ve got the trauma conference.”

“Cool.”

“Have fun, love. I’m going to miss you.”

“It’s two weeks, not six months this time.” Charlotte reminded her with a grin.

Bernie shrugged. “Doesn't matter, I’ll still miss you.”

“Don’t go all soppy on me, Ma.” The fourteen-year-old rolled her eyes, but there was a smirk on her face as she said it.

“Come here.” Wrapping her arms around her daughter and held her tightly for a couple of minutes. “Right… off you go and wow them with your dramatics.”

Rolling her eyes, the teenager grinned and wandered causally in the direction the woman behind the desk had informed her lead to her room. Bernie shook her head fondly and wandered out of the building, hands pushed deep into her pockets as she headed towards her car.

 

* * *

 The first few days of the drama camp seemed to fly past. The teenagers were split into groups to practise different techniques, before being united as a whole company on the third day in order to cast the show they’d be performing. Grease had been chosen as the musical and everyone was enthused to get going.

The auditions had taken place on Monday morning and both Elinor Campbell and Charlotte Wolfe were keen to land the starring role, especially as Adam Cartwright had been cast as Danny Zuko. A bitter rivalry had sprung up between the two girls as they fought for the role, fuelled by the fact everyone seemed to think they were strikingly similar in their looks; something that neither Elinor nor Charlotte could understand at all.

Curling her lip as she took in the teenager opposite her, Elinor shook her head; unable to believe that anyone would think they looked anything alike. For starters, Charlotte had shoulder length hair that looked as though it hadn’t seen a brush for days, while hers was painstakingly straightened and styled to fall in a sheet down to the centre of her back. Charlotte wore baggy, ripped jeans and battered high-tops, while Elinor would not have dreamt of wearing anything that didn’t show her figure off to perfection. The other girl had too many piercings in her ears and a ring in her nose that Elinor wouldn’t have been caught dead with. They couldn’t have been more different if they’d tried.

“Listen, we’ve decided that there’s nothing between your performances and so we’d like you to share the roles of Sandy and Rizzo.” Nancy, the camp director told them calmly, bringing Elinor out of her thoughts.

“How can we share the roles?” She asked irritably, folding her arms and staring at the woman.

“Ellie, you’ll play Sandy in the afternoon performance and Rizzo in the evening performance. Charley you’ll play Rizzo in the afternoon performance and Sandy in the evening performance.” She replied simply.

“But that’s not fair!”

“If you don’t think you can learn both roles then–”

“I can.” Elinor replied immediately.

“Same.” Charlotte agreed, narrowing her eyes at the other girl.

“Excellent.” Nancy nodded. “You better get cracking, then.”

As she walked away, leaving the two fourteen-year-olds clutching their scripts and glaring at each other. Making a disgruntled sound in her throat, Elinor stalked away to sit with her roommates, complaining loudly about the decision. Immediately the other girls agreed with her, shooting dark looks across the room to where Charlotte and her friends were sitting.

“What is her problem?” Charlotte demanded, catching sight of Elinor scowling at her. “I mean she has a serious attitude problem.”

“Don’t pay her any attention, Char.” Jo advised her calmly.

“Or we could get even.” Hannah suggested, grinning mischievously.

Charlotte considered her for a moment. “What are you thinking?”

Standing up, the redhead grinned again and motioned for her friends to follow. Making their way up to the corridor where their rooms were, they paused to check that no one was around, before letting themselves into Elinor’s room. Locating her things quickly, they started looking through for of her toiletries, gathering them into a pile on her bed.

“She’s here for two weeks… bloody hell!” Charlotte shook her head. “I wonder what she looks like without all this make up on?”

“Back end of a horse, probably.” Hannah shrugged. “Jo, keep an eye out. Charley, help me a minute…”

The plan involved switching the labels on the small travel containers that Elinor had brought. It was easy enough to peel off the handwritten labels and swap them between the bottles and soon they had no idea what was shampoo and what was moisturising night cream. Charlotte pulled a face, wondering why a fourteen-year-old would need moisturising night cream anyway.

“Done?” Jo asked as they left the room quickly.

“Yup.” Hannah grinned. “She is gonna be so pissed off when she tries to wash her hair.”

“It’s not the best plan I’ve ever heard.” Jo replied with a smirk.

The redhead rolled her eyes and shoved her in the shoulder. “It’s hitting Campbell where it hurts. That’s all that matters.”

“Come on, let’s get back.” Charlotte said with a shrug. “Nancy’ll wonder where we’ve got to. We’ve got choreography to learn!”

They worked hard on the dance routines all afternoon and it was a relief when they broke for dinner. Before it was served, they had half an hour to relax and change. Charlotte and her friends were on tenterhooks waiting to hear something from the adjoining room and they were not disappointed when they heard a totally over the top high-pitched scream of fury.

“D’you think she’s found out?” Hannah asked innocently, rolling over and glancing up from the magazine spread out on her bed.

Their question was answered when the door to their room flew open and Elinor Campbell stood framed in the doorway looking absolutely furious. Her hair was wet and lay over her shoulders, dripping water onto the floor. In her left hand she was clutching one of the little bottles Charlotte and Hannah had switched earlier.

“This was you, wasn’t it?” She demanded, her eyes flashing.

“What?”

“You switched everything! I’ve just washed my hair with foot scrub! You have no idea how–”

“Why would you wash your hair with foot scrub?” Charlotte asked, keeping her expression neutral. “That’s just stupid.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose!” Elinor exploded. “You switched the labels!”

“Why would I do that?”

Stamping her foot, the irate teenager glared at her. “Because I assume you and your idiot friends thought it would be hilarious. You are going to pay for this, Charlotte Wolfe.”

With that she was gone, slamming the door and leaving a tense silence. Then the three girls inside the room started laughing. They laughed uncontrollably until tears rolled down their cheeks. Charlotte shook her head, rubbing at her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a strangled giggle.


	2. Chapter 2

Elinor didn't retaliate straight away – other than a few childish pranks like swapping the salt and sugar shakers and hiding alarm clocks under the beds – and Charlotte was almost convinced that she was going to get away with the prank they'd pulled on the other girl. In reality, however, Elinor was biding her time until the perfect moment to get her own back. She waited until the dress rehearsal for the afternoon performance where she was playing Rizzo to completely embarrass the other girl in front of the cast and crew.

They were rehearsing the school dance scene when Elinor, with the most innocent expression she could muster on her face, bumped into Charlotte. The glass in her hand had tipped spilling milkshake all down Charlotte's costume. Under the guise of helping her, Elinor had made the situation worse by spilling Charlotte's own drink down her as well, before knocking her off her stool into the floor.

"Oops." She muttered, a triumphant smirk on her face as everyone burst out laughing at the red-faced girl, sprawled on the stage. "I am _so_ sorry."

Growling angrily, Charlotte launched herself at Elinor, grabbing a fistful of her hair and wrestling her onto the ground. Nancy did her best to separate the two girls, gasping as a stray fist caught her on the cheek and she reeled backwards, clutching her face.

"Girls!" She shouted, managing to separate them with the help of some of the boys in the cast. "Stop!" When they started shouting at her, defending themselves and accusing the other of being to blame, she held up her hands. "Enough! Come with me, both of you."

Muttering angrily, they followed her out of the room and into the office that they were using as the director's space. Neither of them spoke as she indicated that they should take a seat, folding their arms and dropping heavily onto the sofa. Looking between the two, scowling faces, Nancy realised that they were even more alike than she'd previously thought.

Ordering them to stay where they were, she darted out for a couple of moments to call their parents, telling them that there was no way they could stay for the rest of the course after their behaviour. Huffing angrily, Elinor felt hot tears jumping into her eyes at the realisation that she had lost her starring role because of the other girl. Charlotte rolled her eyes and shrugged, pretending that she wasn't at all bothered by the situation. They sat in resolute silence, refusing to look at each other, until Nancy reappeared in the office.

"Now, Charley–"

"I'm Elinor!"

"Sorry, Elinor…" She winced at the venom directed towards her at the slip up. "Elinor, your mother's caught up in surgery and won't be able to come and collect you until at least tomorrow. Charlotte, your mother is cutting her trip short, but she wouldn't be able to get here until tomorrow either. I've agreed to let you both stay until the end of the course… it's only two more days, but there is no way you can be allowed to keep your roles in the musical."

"Wonderful."

"I'm trusting you to behave yourselves from now on." Nancy told them sternly, ignoring the sarcasm directed at her. "Obviously there has to be some extra punishment, so I'm moving you to the twin room at the end of the corridor." At once they started complaining against her decision, but the woman stood firm. "Move."

Trudging behind her to the corridor where the rooms were, they disappeared to gather up their things, before following her further along to the room where they would be spending their final nights at the Walden Hotel. Elinor pushed her way into the room first, looking between the beds before throwing her things onto the one closest to the window. Rolling her eyes Charlotte stalked inside and dumped her holdall on the other bed.

Lying on it, kicking her bag off at the same time, Charlotte stared up at the ceiling irritably. The other girl was rifling through her many bags looking for something and that just served to annoy her new roommate even more. Huffing, Charlotte rolled her eyes before sitting up and glaring at Elinor.

"What are you looking for?"

"Nothing."

"Fine!" Charlotte muttered, dropping back down onto the mattress. "I was just going to offer to help."

There was a pause. "My teddy, OK?"

Elinor looked at the other girl as though she expected her to laugh at her. Instead Charlotte shrugged. "Want a hand?"

Reluctantly Elinor nodded and allowed her to help her search through her belongings for the teddy bear. Finally they found it, wrapped up in a t-shirt that looked smarter than anything Charlotte owned but Elinor announced was part of her sleepwear. Once they'd tidied everything away, the two girls sat together on Elinor's bed. She held her teddy on her lap, worrying at his ears as they both tried to think of something to say.

"My mother gave him to me when I was a baby." Elinor said at last, not meeting Charlotte's eyes. "I haven't seen her since I was about one, so…"

"What's his name?"

"Cuppy."

"What?"

"Yeah… weird, I know, but…" Elinor shrugged, clutching the balding teddy to her chest.

Charlotte chewed her lip. "I thought Nancy said that your mum was coming to pick you up tomorrow."

"Yeah, I…" Elinor turned to fix her with a fierce, defensive stare. "I have two mums. Or, I did…" When a smile tugged at the corners of Charlotte's lips, she scowled. "You got a problem with that?"

She shook her head. "No, not at all. My ma's a lesbian. Well… apart from that ridiculous mini-blip known as Marcus. But apart from that absolutely _tragic_ lapse in judgement, she's as gay as they come."

"Ouch… I had a horrendous step-dad too… Edward." Elinor pulled a face. "Worst thing is, even though Mum came to her senses and divorced him he keeps hanging around, hoping she'll take him back. You wouldn't believe what I've tried, but I can't get rid of him."

"Gross."

They looked at each other and started laughing. Neither was really sure why, but the idea that both of their mothers were gay and surgeons and they had terrible stepfathers seemed to be an exceptionally fortunate thing for them to bond over. Ten minutes later they were trading stories about Marcus and Edward, although Elinor had far more to tell because her stepfather had stuck around a lot longer than Charlotte's.

"So, admit it, you hated me so much because you fancy Adam." Charlotte challenged with a smirk on her face.

Elinor shrugged. "Maybe… but I just really wanted to be Sandy, too."

"To be honest, I wasn't that bothered. I would have preferred to be Rizzo, but you were being such a dick about it that I refused to give in."

"Really?"

"Yeah, totally." Charlotte shrugged. "I'm only here because there was no one to look after me. Mama's at a trauma conference and Gramps is at some business retreat thing. My Uncle Fletch would have looked after me, but he's got four kids of his own to deal with while trying to do double shifts, so it was a too tough for him, apparently. He's not actually my uncle, just Ma's best mate. Whenever she gets a new job she talks the management into giving him one too; not that he's not amazing at his job, because he really is." She flopped back onto the bed dramatically. "When I'm fifteen he said he'll pay me for taking care of the kids, but I don't know if he can actually afford that."

"When's will you be fifteen?"

"My birthday's October 11th, so only two months now."

"What?" Elinor blinked at her. "My birthday is October 11th, too!"

Laughing, the other girl sat up. "No way? That's so weird. Are you serious?"

"Yeah, totally serious!"

"Maybe we're secretly twins or something." Charlotte teased.

At her words, Elinor went quiet, thinking hard. After a couple of moments she spoke, changing the topic of conversation completely. "What's your mum like?"

"Chaotic, forgetful, hazardous to my health, but she's also the sweetest human ever and she's so funny. There was this one time she–"

"What about your other mum? The one who left? What was she like?"

Charlotte's face dropped and she shrugged, looking at her hands in her lap. "I don't know. Mama refuses to talk about her. I never pushed it because she was in the army and I didn't want to upset her while she was home. Gramps told me she was brilliant and beautiful and dedicated to her career… but not much else."

"How can you not know much about your second parent?" Elinor asked, arching an eyebrow. There was something in her eyes, however, that Charlotte couldn't quite put her finger on. "You must know what she looks like, at least?"

"We have a photo… just one. It was taken at their graduation with both my mothers and both sets of Grandparents. Mama kept it because–"

"It's the only photo with all of them in it?"

"How did you–?"

"We've got the same one." Elinor murmured. "At least it sounds like the same one. They're standing outside a pub and–"

"Mothers are both wearing blue dresses?"

"Yeah…"

So…"

"This is too crazy." Charlotte shook her head, unable to believe what was happening. "I mean… it can't be…"

"Wait… let's think about this for a minute." Elinor suggested, frowning and shaking her head. "We look similar–"

"Babe, we're identical."

"Yeah…OK. But we've also got the same birthday. We both have two mums, who are surgeons, but we've never met one of them. We have the same photo of our parents…"

Charlotte shook her head. "I know what you're suggesting, but this is huge, El. I mean… that's fourteen years of lying to us. I don't think my mother would do that."

"Mine probably would." Elinor muttered with a frown.

"Would she?"

There was a long pause as she considered her answer. "No. I mean… I think… I think if she thought she was protecting me from something she would."

"If only they let us bring phones to this stupid thing. I mean, I've got about a million photos of my Ma on my phone." Standing up, Charlotte started pacing around the room. "This is so stupid! The only thing I know about my mother is her name and… Mama gets upset if I ask about her so I don't even know where she lives now. And you'd think that Serena McKinnie would be easy enough to track down but–"

"What did you say?"

"Apparently my mother doesn't have social media, so–"

"No, I mean… what was her name?"

"Serena McKinnie. That's all I know."

Elinor put her hands on Charlotte's shoulders. "My mum is called Serena Campbell… but her maiden name was Serena McKinnie." She took a deep breath. "Is your mother's name Bernie?"

"Yes!" She nodded vehemently. "Berenice Wolfe… Bernie." She gazed at the other girl open mouthed. "So if your Mum is my Mum and my Ma is your Ma then we're… you're… we're like sisters?"

"Charlotte, it's better than that. We're like twins."


	3. Chapter 3

"Hold still!"

"Get on with it, then!" Elinor snapped, clutching her teddy tightly, her eyes clamped shut. "I cannot believe I let you talk me into this!"

"I've pierced loads of my friends… I could do ears and noses in my sleep." Her newfound twin informed her nonchalantly, rolling her eyes. "It's easy."

"I'm already regretting this."

"Oh, lighten up. It'll look amazing."

The revelation that Charlotte's missing mother was in fact Elinor's very familiar mother and that Bernie (surname until now unknown) Wolfe was Elinor's long-lost parent had forced the two teenagers to admit what everyone else had seen from the second they'd arrived at the hotel. They really were identical in appearance, apart from the obvious differences in style.

That, along with their curiosity about the mothers they didn't know, gave them an idea. Charlotte proclaimed it as genius, while Elinor disagreed and said that her sister had completely lost the plot; mainly because it was her who had been subjected to having her hair cut and washed – without being straightened – so that it bounced off her shoulders in messy curls. Secretly she loved it, but out loud she informed Charlotte that she looked as though she was wearing a birds nest on her head. Now, though, Charlotte was planning to add extra holes to her ears and nose.

"Seriously, I can't come to a drama course with four holes in my ears and a nose ring and leave without them." Charlotte reasoned.

"They could have closed up."

"In fourteen days?"

"If I bleed to death…"

Beaming, Charlotte advanced on her. If Elinor was being completely honest, the ordeal wasn't as bad as she'd made out. She would never admit that, though, far too keen on the sympathy that her sister gave her when she stepped back to survey her handiwork. Standing side by side in front of the mirror, having swapped outfits, the girls had to admit that even they would find it difficult to tell them apart if they weren't aware of what was going on. They were sure that they would be able to fool their mothers for long enough to come up with a plan to reunite them.

"So… Fletch's children are called Evie, Mikey, Ella and Theo?" Elinor recited as they lay in their beds on their last night on the drama course. They'd spent the last couple of days while they'd been confined to their room effectively revising each other's lives. "Adrian Fletcher is the Ward Manager on Mama's ward."

"Yep." Charlotte nodded. "OK… Mum's Registrar is called Raf Di Lucca and her F2 is called Morven Digby. Her boss is called Henry Hanssen."

"Henrik." The other girl corrected quickly. "He's the CEO and he's Swedish. He's a bit odd, but he's really nice. He gave me a book of Swedish folklore for Christmas."

"Right… so Mum is General Surgical Consultant and Clinical Lead on AAU at Holby City Hospital."

Nodding as her sister reeled off their mother's job title, Elinor tried to remember Bernie's. "And Mama is… Trauma Specialist on ACU?"

"Trauma Lead Consultant." Charlotte said. "Her Clinical Lead is Natasha Ellis."

"Is this going to work?" Elinor asked, suddenly struck by the enormity of what they were about to do. "I mean… can we really fool our _mothers_ into thinking we're each other? Mum knows me better than anyone… half the time it's like she knows what I'm going to do before I do it."

Charlotte smiled, slipping out of bed, climbing in beside Elinor and taking her hand. "We only need to keep it up for a couple of days. Then we can tell them the truth and they'll have to meet up to swap us back or work out what the hell to do or whatever." She turned on her side and looked at her sister seriously. "I've always felt like something was missing, you know? Now I've found you there is no way I'm going back to what it was like before. I can't just forget I've got a sister and another mother. I won't. They can't expect us to."

Elinor nodded determinedly. "I won't let them, Charley. I have a sister! I've always wanted one. I used to imagine I had a twin… weird, huh?"

"Yeah, you are a bit." Her sister teased her.

"It's strange, isn't it," Elinor murmured, smacking her lightly on the arm, "to think that this time tomorrow I'll be with Mama and you'll with Mum… for the first time since we were babies."

"Yeah… that is strange." Charlotte mused, peering at her intently. "I'm so excited. Also… your nose stud is bleeding a bit…"

* * *

Elinor was the first to leave the hotel, Fletch arriving to pick 'Charlotte' up partway through the afternoon. As they had been dropped from the cast, Nancy had said that they could be picked up earlier than the official time if it made things easier. Charlotte waited with her in the lobby, going over some final bits of information the other might find useful over the coming days.

Spotting Fletch's people carrier parking up outside in the car park, Charlotte hugged her sister tightly, wishing her luck and then darting out of sight so she wouldn't be spotted. Nervously Elinor shifted in her seat, attempting to adopt the other girl's casual attitude to life. Slouching down in her seat, she propped her head on her hand and scuffed at the floor with Charlotte's battered converses.

"C, I'm sorry I'm late!" A tall, good-looking man with a cockney accent said, holding up his hands as he burst into the lobby. "You wouldn't believe the day we're having at work."

"I bet I would." Elinor told him, feeling as though she was having one of those days herself. "It's fine, though… let's just get out of here."

"So, what've you been up to, trouble?" Fletch asked, shouldering her holdall and throwing an arm around her shoulders as he led her out to the car. "Bern said something about a bit of bother with another girl?"

Elinor grinned. "Yeah… she was an idiot. My friends Hannah and Jo helped me get her back… I think we took it a bit far, though, in the end because she assaulted me with milkshake."

"Milkshake?" He snorted with amusement. "Good job you ain't lactose intolerant."

"Yeah… then I punched her."

Fletch shook his head. "Yeah? As long as you showed her you don't mess with a Wolfe."

"I definitely did that."

"That's my girl." Fletch chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Come on, let's get you home. D'you fancy pizza and a movie night at mine? Your Mum's left the conference, but got herself caught up in the RTC drama at the hospital and your Gramps isn't back yet."

"Sounds good. How are the kids?"

Fletch launched into a long story about something Theo had done at the childminder's and Evie's latest obsession which was, apparently, becoming a surgeon. Elinor listened with fascination as he told her that Bernie had offered to talk to her about the career, believing that they needed more female surgeons in the world. Fletch grinned as the teenager sitting beside him nodded in firm agreement.

"Oh, your phone is in the glove compartment." He said, noticing that she was fiddling with the hem of her t-shirt. "Bernie charged it specially this morning."

"Thank you."

Fumbling around in the drawer, Elinor pulled out an iPhone and stared at it. Charlotte had told her the passcode and ordered her to text her as soon as she got hold of it. It wasn't as though she'd be able to forget the code seeing as, just like hers, it was their joint date of birth. Tapping the numbers in quickly, she opened a new message and sent it to her own mobile number.

"See, that's the problem with you kids these days," Fletch told her in a teasing tone, "can't keep your heads out of your phones."

"I've got lots of new friends to keep in touch with." She replied distractedly, arching an eyebrow as she scrolled through her sister's messages. Grinning, she opened the conversation with Charlotte and asked her who Jake was. "Perhaps you should try finding some friends, sometime."

Indicating off the main road and into a car park, Fletch snorted with amusement, looked sideways at the teenager and smiled. "Just got to swing by the hospital and grab my bag. I completely forgot to pick it up when I came to get you… I basically ran out before anyone could stop me, to be honest."

"No problem."

"Besides, I know a blonde Trauma Surgeon who'll be made up to see you."

Elinor's heart seemed to stop in her chest at his words. Until that moment, the idea of meeting her mother had just been a distant dream. Now, climbing out of Fletch's car and heading towards the hospital ward where Bernie worked, everything seemed incredibly real. It was actually happening. There was no turning back now. Elinor was suddenly terrified that Bernie would realise straight away that she wasn't Charlotte. Her mouth had gone dry and her palms seemed to be sweating. Rubbing them agitatedly on her sister's jeans as they got into the lift, she took several calming breaths. If Fletch thought she was acting strangely, he didn't say anything, although he did send her a slightly odd sideways glance.

They walked quickly along a corridor, much like the ones Elinor had walked along many times with Serena. Tapping a panel with his ID tag, Fletch ushered the teenager onto a very busy ward. He propelled her towards an office, Elinor smiling and waving at anyone who greeted her, despite having no idea who any of them were. Fletch grinned, telling her he'd only be a minute, before disappearing off somewhere.

Dropping into the chair at the desk, Elinor twisted it backwards and forwards gently, looking around at the office with interest. She spotted a photo on the desk and picked up the frame, smiling as she realised it was a picture of Bernie, Charlotte and a man who was obviously her grandfather. Her mother was smiling at Charlotte as though she was the most precious thing in the world. Elinor's chest contracted at the expression, hoping that one day the blonde would survey her with the same look.

"Hello, stranger."

Turning, Elinor came face to face with Bernie for the first time she could remember. "Mama…"


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Massive thank you to everyone reading/commenting/subscribing/leaving kudos on this! I'm so glad you seem to be enjoying it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
> 
> Also, I totally don't think Serena and Bernie would be fooled by Charlotte and Elinor's scheme for a second... but in this case, they really were!
> 
> x

 

Charlotte watched Fletch and Elinor talking, the man picking up her holdall and leading her outside. It was only when they'd gone that the enormity of what they were doing hit her properly. Returning to the sofa, she threw herself down beside the suitcase that her sister had brought, wondering yet again why she needed so much stuff for two weeks.

"Ellie, darling!"

"Mum…" Charlotte breathed, looking up and meeting Serena's eyes for the first time. She couldn't believe that she was actually here, that the bright smile on her face was for her.

She looked at her carefully, trying to commit everything about her mother to memory, in case this was the only opportunity she had to do so. Everything seemed to fall into place in the teenager's mind. She recognised her nose on the older woman's face, the eyes fixing her with an expression of such love that it almost overwhelmed her. Serena was so beautiful, breathtakingly beautiful, that Charlotte almost couldn't believe that she was looking at the right woman. She didn't believe that she could be related to someone so elegant.

Suddenly the girl was afraid that Elinor would turn out to be correct; that their mothers would see through their switch and send them back before they had a chance to formulate a plan. With great difficulty, she pushed her hands into the disgustingly under-sized pockets of the shorts she was wearing, chewing her lip nervously.

"Come here and give me a hug, then!" Serena commanded, apparently slightly bemused by the girl's reaction to her presence.

She didn't need to ask twice. Charlotte leapt towards her and threw herself into her mother's outstretched arms immediately, clinging on tight and burying her face in her mother's neck, breathing in her scent. It was totally different from Bernie's, something entirely new, but it was oddly familiar and no less reassuring.

"I missed you." Charlotte murmured, not ready to let go just yet. "I really, really missed you."

Serena chuckled, gently pulling back and running a hand through her hair. "I missed you too, darling. There is no way you're going away again. You can forget about university unless you live at home." As though only just realising, she tugged gently on a strand of Charlotte's hair. "You've cut your hair?"

The teenager bit her lip nervously. "Do you hate it?"

"No… No, I love it. You remind me of…"

"Who?"

"Oh… no one. Just… someone I knew a long time ago." Serena smiled weakly. "And… Elinor Anne Campbell, what _have_ you done to your nose? And your ears!"

"You hate the piercings, don't you?"

Grasping her chin gently, Serena tilted her head for a better look. "No, actually, it suits you. But school _are_ going to hate it, so the nose stud will have to come out before you go back, I'm afraid."

"OK." Charlotte agreed with a nod. "Fair enough."

Serena narrowed her eyes playfully. "No arguments?"

"Nope."

"Wow… this drama course really has taken the dramatics out of you."

Charlotte laughed, shrugging. "I'm just pleased to see you, that's all. I'll probably argue about it tomorrow."

"Are there any other surprises – belly-button rings, tattoos?"

"No!"

Serena wrapped an arm around her, smiling brightly. "Good. Right, well, let's get home. Spag bol for tea tonight."

"My favourite; how did you know?" The teenager asked, forgetting herself for a moment.

Shooting her a bemused look, her mother laughed. "How did I know my daughter's favourite meal? I wonder… Are you feeling alright, Ellie?"

"Yeah… sorry." She shook her head. "I'm just a bit tired… you know what it's like."

"I can well imagine. It cost me enough to send you here. I hope they kept you busy 24/7." Serena laughed softly. "I wonder if…"

She looked around and spotted a young man walking purposefully through the lobby behind them. Wherever he had been heading was forgotten as Serena approached, touching his arm lightly and laughing softly. The next thing Charlotte knew, he was dragging the case and carrying the many bags towards Serena's car. Mouth open slightly in awe, Charlotte followed her mother across the car park.

"Phone." Serena held out Elinor's mobile and Charlotte was completely unsurprised to see that the case was bright pink and covered in glitter and diamantes. "It's been turned off since you left, so I'm assuming it's charged."

"One way to find out." Charlotte agreed. Holding the button to turn it on, she was relieved when the screen lit up in response. No sooner had it booted up than it vibrated and a message flashed up on the screen.

**Unknown (16:18) Why didn't you tell me that Fletch was hot? xox**

**Unknown (16:23) Also, who is Jake? Something else you never mentioned in the many, many conversations we had! xox**

"No…" She muttered under her breath, quickly typing back and warning her sister not to make anyone think _she_ fancied Fletch and not to read any of her messages. Noticing Serena side-eying her, she smiled. "A mate from the course… Charlotte."

"Char…" Serena paused, covering up her sudden surprise at hearing the name by swearing at another driver. "Bloody holigans! Sorry, darling, what were you saying?"

"My mate Charlotte from the course. She's great. It was weird, you know, how close we got so quick. Like we'd known each other for years or something."

"Where's she from? Maybe she could come round for tea some time?" Serena suggested, resolutely looking straight ahead of her.

"She lives in Cheltenham… maybe a little bit far away to just pop round for tea."

"Maybe not, then." Her mother agreed with a smile. "Besides, you'll probably lose contact once you get back to school and your other friends." Catching sight of Charlotte wrinkling her nose in disagreement, Serena chuckled. "When I was your age your grandmother decided to send me to a ballet school. For some bizarre reason, completely beyond my realm of understanding, she thought I'd make a wonderful ballet dancer. Anyway, at the school I met Amanda Waverly. We thought we'd be best friends forever."

Pre-empting the moral of her story, Charlotte arched an eyebrow. "Let me guess, you never saw each other again after that?"

"Precisely."

"That's not going to happen with me and Charley." The teenager told her firmly.

"I bet you don't even know her surname." Serena challenged, obviously fishing for information.

Charlotte smirked, guessing what she was doing. She thought fast, plucking a different surname out of her mind. "I do, actually. It's Charlotte Dunn. I can tell you her date of birth, address, school name and parents occupations too, if you want them?"

Raising one hand in defeat, the older woman shrugged. "OK, OK. Maybe your friendship isn't as ill fated as mine and Amanda Waverly's was. Then again, you do have the advantage of mobile phones and Facebook."

"Exactly."

"So this fight, you got yourself involved in…" Serena started, glancing sideways at the teenager. Charlotte stiffened at the sternness of her tone, unsure what to expect from the brunette seated beside her. "What, exactly, were you thinking, Elinor?"

"It was nothing." The fourteen-year-old told her hurriedly. "Honestly, the whole thing was just blown out of proportion."

"Really? So I had a phone call asking me to come and collect you over nothing."

Charlotte bit her lip. "OK… so it was something. But it was Charley who I had the fight with and obviously we're cool now, so it doesn't really matter any more."

"It doesn't matter?" Serena frowned at her, narrowing her eyes. "I did not bring you up to get into fights, Elinor. That is never the best solution to a problem or a disagreement."

"I know, I know… I'm really sorry, Mum."

"We'll discus this further tomorrow." Her mother warned, pulling up on the driveway.

Charlotte sighed as the older brunette climbed out of the car. Serena was almost the complete opposite of Bernie but, then again, Elinor was the complete opposite of Charlotte. It would just take some getting used to Serena's more direct parenting style.

"If you take your things up to your room and start unpacking, I'll get started on dinner, alright?" Serena suggested as she let them into the house, pressing a kiss to the side of Charlotte's head. She made her way into the back of the house without waiting for an answer. "If you put your washing in the basket I'll sort it later."

Standing in the hallway, Charlotte heard Serena turning on the radio in the kitchen. Soft, classical music met her ears as she picked up several of the bags and started up the stairs. Remembering what Elinor had told her about the layout of the house, the teenager found her way to the bedroom that was hers for the foreseeable future.

Like Elinor's phone case, the room was exactly what she would have expected from her twin. A double bed stood in the centre of the room, fairy lights wrapped around the iron frame and bright pink wooden letters hung on the wall above the headboard spelling out her sister's name. An oversized wardrobe stood in the left corner of the room with a wide chest of drawers beside it. A large bay window took up most of the opposite wall; the window seat covered in a cushion the same bright pink as the lampshade and duvet. On the wall opposite the bed was a desk. It was almost frighteningly neat with everything seemingly in its place and an expensive laptop in the centre of the surface.

It was a million miles away from Charlotte's own bedroom and a thousand times tidier. With a sigh, she unzipped the suitcase and started throwing things into the laundry basket. How Elinor had managed to generate so much washing in two weeks was beyond her, but she dealt with it never the less, before stowing the case neatly away under the bed.

Everything had just been put away when Serena shouted up the stairs that dinner was ready. Taking the stairs two at a time, she skidded into the kitchen, beaming at her mother. Her face fell at the sight of the man sitting in one of the chairs at the table, holding a glass of red wine in one hand and gesturing wildly with the other as he spoke to Serena.

"Ellie!" He exclaimed, spotting her standing in the doorway. "How was your course, squirt? I bet you got the starring role, didn't you?"

Apparently Serena was no stranger to the irritated expression that was gracing the teenager's face, because she cleared her throat and carried the saucepan of pasta over to the table. "Edward came over tonight especially to see you."

"Did he? That was thoughtful of him."

"Play nice, Elinor." Serena hissed in her ear, leaning close under the pretence of serving her.

Sending her a tense smile Charlotte nodded sharply and fixed a sickly sweet smile on her face. "So… how's work?"

"Not bad, thanks." Edward informed her, ignoring her tone, smiling warmly up at Serena as she ladled sauce onto his pasta. Charlotte didn't miss how his hand lingered on her arm as he thanked her and her lip curled with distain.

Edward launched into a story about something that had happened at his hospital. Serena settled herself in the chair between them at the table, lifting her glass and taking a long gulp before lifting her knife and fork. Her attention seemed firmly fixed on Edward as he talked, laughing as he cracked jokes and responding immediately to any questions he asked. Charlotte wondered whether it was always like this, understanding Elinor's dislike of the man immediately. There was something about him that she just didn't trust.


	5. Chapter 5

"Thanks, Fletch." Bernie smiled warmly at her friend, wrapping an arm around Elinor's shoulders as they stood on his doorstep later that night. "I owe you one."

"I'll remember that next time Natasha's on the warpath because _someone_ hasn't finished their paperwork on time and the Ward Manager is the nearest person to blame."

"That was one time!" The blonde defended herself quickly. "I hid you under my desk, didn't I?" They laughed together, before Bernie patted his arm. "Seriously, Fletch, thanks."

"Don't mention it, C's great with the kids and they love her. She was doing me a favour, really."

"Well, I'd better get her home. I think we need to have a little chat about what happened the other day." Channelling her inner Charlotte, Elinor huffed, rolling her eyes at her mother's words. "Don't give me that, young lady, I didn't spend a hell of a lot of money on that course for you to go round punching people."

"She deserved it, by all accounts."

Bernie arched an eyebrow at her friend. "Not _really_ the point, Fletcher."

Fletch chuckled, watching them head down the drive and climb into Bernie's car. Elinor was nervous through the whole journey, wondering when the blonde was going to bring up the fight. Bernie, however, simply sang along to the radio as they drove, not making any attempt to question her daughter about her behaviour.

"I love that song." She sighed as it ended. "Ed Sheeran, right?"

Elinor looked at her in bemusement, shaking her head. "No, that was Shawn Mendes."

Bernie frowned. "Was it?"

"Yep."

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely."

"Oh…" The blonde shrugged. "I love it anyway."

Silence reigned once more. Even when they pulled up outside a large townhouse and Bernie grabbed the holdall, she didn't say anything about the phone call she'd received about her daughter's behaviour. Inside the house, she pushed the bag into Elinor's arms and ordered her to put her washing in the machine. Then, dropping a kiss into her hair, she wandered into the living room and turned on the television.

Unsure, Elinor stood in the hallway for a moment, wondering whether this was normal behaviour for Bernie. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that Serena would have brought the situation up with Charlotte by now and she was slightly thrown at the lack of confrontation so far. Pulling out the phone in her pocket to ask Charlotte's advice, she realised that she had four texts and three missed calls from her sister.

**Charley (18:59) Edward is here. I see what you mean. He's a creep x**

**Charley (19:23) OK, I think something's going on between Mum and the creep. He was here for dinner and he's still here x**

**Charley (21:47) There's still no sign of him leaving x**

**Charley (22:12) Ellie, I'm starting to freak out here. I don't know what to do. Mum said I should be thinking about getting to bed, but I don't want to leave her alone with HIM x**

Frowning, she read the messages quickly, before selecting her own number in the contacts and holding the phone to her ear. Moving into the kitchen, she pushed the door closed carefully.

"Hey, are you OK?" Elinor demanded as soon as her call was answered.

"No, I'm not bloody OK, El!" Charlotte snapped, her voice hushed as she obviously tried not to be overheard. "Sodding Edward won't leave."

"That's nothing new. He never knows when he's outstayed his welcome."

"You don't think…"

"Yes, of course I think he wants Mum back, but I don't think she wants _him_ back." Elinor told her quickly, finding her way into the utility room and switching on the light. She scrabbled on the shelf for the washing powder, finally laying her hands on it and lifting it down. "She puts up with him because of some weird misplaced belief that she owes him something? I don't know. Just because they were married for eight years and we've both got his surname… eurgh. If I was old enough and allowed I'd change it back in a heartbeat."

"When we get this sorted you can." Charlotte promised seriously. "We're going to have to get Mum and Mama to meet as soon as possible. I bet as soon as they see each other they'll remember why they fell in love and had us. Any bright ideas on how, yet?"

"I've been at Fletch's all night while Mama was working. I need more time with her. I've hardly got to spend any time with her yet." Elinor informed her, shoving handfuls of clothing into the washing machine. "I haven't had a chance to think about how to make it work."

"Think about how to make what work?"

Elinor's eyes widened at the sound of Bernie's voice behind her. "Oh… hi, Mama. It's just…"

"Tell her it's Elinor and see what she does." Charlotte said in her ear, sounding highly amused and evidently guessing what had happened. "I told Serena I made a friend called Charlotte and I seriously thought she was gonna crash the car for a minute. Charlotte Dunn rang no bells with her, so she let it go."

"Charley, love?" Bernie questioned, arching an eyebrow as she failed to answer the question, the frown on the teenager's face evidently aimed at whoever was talking in her ear.

"Sorry, Ma." She turned, pointing to the phone by her ear. "It's my friend from the course… Elinor."

A myriad of emotions seemed to flash through the blonde's eyes at the name, but she just shrugged it off, folding her arms and leaning against the doorframe. "You saw her about six hours ago. I haven't seen you for two weeks! It's my turn to spend some time with you now. I'm sure your friend won't mind if you call her tomorrow."

"I've gotta go. I'll ring you tomorrow, yeah?"

"Ellie! I need help. Seriously!" Charlotte sounded seriously panicked and Elinor felt terrible that she was just leaving her to deal with the Edward situation on her own. With Bernie staring at her, however, she didn't have much choice.

"I'm really sorry, OK? Bye."

Pushing the phone into her back pocket, she smiled weakly and followed Bernie out of the utility room, turning the light off as she went. In the kitchen, the blonde flicked the switch on the kettle, shaking a mug at her daughter and silently asking whether she wanted a drink. When Elinor nodded, she set about making tea for both of them.

The kitchen was homely and cosy. It was nowhere near as ordered and tidy as her kitchen at home; apparently Bernie wasn't as keen on everything belonging in a certain place if the mess on the counters was anything to go by. Serena would have had a fit at the sight of the black and white cat curled up asleep beside the bread bin. The blonde merely scratched her ears, talking to her softly as she blinked at her, before reaching for the kettle.

On the wall opposite the window was a chalkboard, covered in scribbling about where everyone was supposed to be, appointments that they needed to remember and even a shopping list crammed in the top left-hand corner. Elinor guessed that they had started off with the intention of being organised, because it was split into three columns; 'Gramps'. 'Mama' and 'Charley-Bear'. Evidently they'd long ago given up on those, however, because the memos seemed to be placed haphazardly wherever there was a space.

Smirking at the cutesy nickname for her sister, the teenager turned her attention to the 'fridge, which was covered in letter magnets, brightly coloured messages written to each other. It currently said 'Mama-Bear is the best', much to Elinor's amusement.

Seeing where the teenager's eyes were lingering, she grinned. "Changed that as soon as you went away."

"It won't stay like that for long."

Bernie narrowed her eyes playfully for a moment, placing a mug of tea in front of the teenager and sitting down at the table. "So, this fight? Want to talk about it?"

"It was nothing." Elinor shrugged. "It was with Ellie, actually, so…"

"Was there a boy involved?"

"When isn't there?"

Bernie snorted. "When it's a girl instead."

"That's your territory, Ma."

"Too right it is."

Elinor chuckled, shaking her head. "I'm sorry."

"What for?" Bernie asked, clearly surprised.

"Getting into the fight in the first place."

"Well, obviously violence is never the answer, Charley, but clearly everything's sorted now, seeing as you were just on the phone with Ellie." Bernie pointed out gently. "And you're OK?"

"I'm fine."

"Good. Well, you should probably get to bed, sweetheart. Gramps is back tomorrow."

Nodding, Elinor wrapped her hand around her mug and stood up. Pressing a kiss to the top of her mother's head she said goodnight, closing her eyes and inhaling the scent of the blonde's shampoo. It still hadn't quite sunk in where she was and with whom.

As she walked past the dog's basket just inside the kitchen, Sammy growled, making her jump and take a hasty step backwards. Bernie frowned at the exchange, curious about their pet's sudden strange behaviour.

"What's with you, goofball!" She told him shaking her head. "It's Charley!"

Elinor shrugged, pretending not to be bothered. "I probably smell like the hotel or something, that's all. Night, Mama."

Heading upstairs, the teenager found her sister's bedroom quickly, smirking and shaking her head as she entered the room. It was entirely as messy as she had thought it would be. Picking her way across the floor, trying not to fall over the many piles of clothes, shoes, books and DVDs. Something on the bed moved as Elinor approached it and it was lucky that Charlotte had warned her that the cats liked to sleep there or she would probably have screamed.

Instead, she merely changed into a pair of mismatched pyjamas and crawled under the duvet. Missy padded across the bed towards her, tucking herself under Elinor's arm as she unlocked Charlotte's phone and opened their conversation thread.

**Ellie (22: 49) Sorry I had to go, Mama came in. Has he left yet? xox**

**Charley (22:50) NO x**

**Ellie (22:51) Jesus… He's such a letch. I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to think of anything yet, either. I don't really know what we should do. We need to think of a plan ASAP xox**

**Ellie (22:52) I had to put my number in your phone as 'Charley'. Seeing my own name flashing up was too weird. xox**

**Charley (22:55) It's OK. I haven't had much luck on the idea front either. x**

**Charley (22:56) I did the same. You're in here as Ellie. x**

**Ellie (22:57) Is Mama always so laid back about you getting into trouble? She didn't really tell me off at all. I hope Mum wasn't too harsh on you. xox**

**Charley (22:59) Yeah, she's always pretty cool about stuff – although I haven't really done anything too terrible and tested how far I can push her! Mum wasn't too bad… gave me a bit of a lecture and said we'd talk more about it tomorrow… I'm really not looking forward to that conversation! x**

**Charley (23:09) Thank god he's finally leaving! x**

**Charley (23: 18) I'll call you tomorrow x**


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your comments! I've barely had time to read them this week, let alone reply, but they are all very much appreciated!

Charlotte blinked, frowning against the sudden daylight that had assaulted her. Opening one eye and peering around, she saw Serena moving across the bedroom towards her with a mug in her hand. The cause of the sudden light was immediately explained by the fact the curtains had been thrown open.

"What time is it?"

"Half past eight."

"What?" Charlotte groaned, rolling over and pulling the duvet over her head. "Nope… way too early."

"Come on, darling." Serena cooed, tugging the covers off her. "I've got to get to work."

"Right…"

"You're going to have to come in with me, at least for the morning."

"Really?" Charlotte sat up quickly, making her mother chuckle.

"I thought that might get you moving." She moved towards the door. "Half an hour."

Instead of the usual meltdown that being given such little notice would cause, the teenager simply nodded and climbed out of bed. She hunted through Elinor's wardrobe for something to wear, cursing her sister's fashion sense when all she could see were skirts, blouses and dresses. Finally managing to find a pair of skinny jeans and a top that wasn't too girly, Charlotte pulled them on and quickly applied some make up. She guessed that Serena would be suspicious if she didn't wear any, but she refused to spend as long as her sister did getting ready.

"Wow… that was quick." The woman announced, clearly genuinely surprised, as Charlotte entered the kitchen. "I'm pretty sure that's a new record."

"Ha ha."

"So, I've been thinking about your punishment."

"My punishment?" Charlotte looked at her in confusion.

"Yes, Elinor, your punishment for getting into a fight." Serena reminded her.

"Oh, that…"

"Two weeks no pocket money, no friends."

"One week."

Serena frowned. "I'm sorry? Are you attempting to barter with me about your punishment?"

"I… err… yes?" It was only just dawning on Charlotte that perhaps the way she and Bernie agreed on punishments wasn't going to work with her other mother.

"Well don't." Her mother replied bluntly. "That was my final word on the matter."

Twenty minutes later Serena started gathering her things, while her daughter grabbed the laptop from upstairs and a book to occupy herself. She didn't have much intention of reading, but for appearance sake she needed something to take with her. Not having expected Elinor to be a big Harry Potter fan, she was surprised to find every book neatly placed on her bookshelf. What she wasn't surprised about was that her books, as well as DVDs, were organised in alphabetical order.

"You'll have to stay in my office." Serena announced as they entered the hospital. As they passed the café, she glanced sideways. "Do you want anything?"

"No thanks."

"Ah!" Serena held up a hand, catching sight of someone by the lifts. "Hang on just a minute, darling. I need to speak to Sacha for a second." Pushing her purse into Charlotte's hand she smiled. "Can you get me a coffee and a croissant? Are you sure you don't want anything?"

Realising it was a non-negotiable request, the teenager made her way across the lobby towards the counter. Ordering what her mother had asked for, Charlotte ordered a smoothie and another croissant, deciding that she might as well take advantage of the offer.

"Hey? Have you gone deaf or are you ignoring me?"

Charlotte blinked at the man who had appeared beside her. He fixed her with a confused expression as she stared at him. "Raf?"

"Who else were you expecting?" He asked, grinning at her. "I was calling your name. Did you not hear?"

"No… sorry…"

Raf shot her a strange look. "Are you alright, Ellie?"

"Umm…" She blinked several times. "Sorry, yeah, I'm fine."

"How long have I known you?"

"Umm… ages?"

"Since you were nine, Ellie." He reminded her, picking up the takeaway cups of coffee and smoothie, leaving her to grab the paper bag containing the pastries. "I know when you're not fine. So? Do you want to talk about it?"

Charlotte smiled and shook her head. "No. Honestly, Uncle Raf, I'm OK."

"Right, well… if you change your mind, you know where I am." He told her earnestly, starting to walk towards the lifts. "Your mother has had to go straight into a meeting and she asked me to take you up to her office."

They made their way up to AAU and the Registrar showed her into the office. There was a photo of Serena and Elinor on the desk, along with one of Elinor and an older woman who Charlotte assumed was her grandmother. She looked at them for a moment, before pulling out her laptop and setting it on the desk beside the computer.

It was already connected to the internet, Charlotte assumed from previous visits Elinor had made to the hospital, so she simply loaded up the browser. Then she paused, wondering what to search. 'How to get your mothers back together' didn't seem like a good search option and neither did 'reconciliation after 13 years'. Sighing deeply, completely devoid of ideas, she shut the laptop and pulled out her mobile instead.

**Charley (9:28) Are you awake? x**

There was no immediate response, so the teenager put the phone on the desk and walked over to the window that looked onto the ward. She tried to attach names to the figures milling around based on the information Elinor had given her, but it was difficult when people darted around so quickly. It was evidently an incredibly busy ward, not unlike the one Bernie worked on, although there didn't seem to be a designated Trauma Bay and Charlotte couldn't see a red telephone like the one her mother had installed on her ward. She had heard many tales about the dreaded red phone, particularly when it rang near the end of the shift.

Moving back to the desk, she busied herself nosing at Serena's belongings surreptitiously, keeping one eye on the door to make sure she wasn't caught. Something incredibly interesting had just attracted her attention when the mobile buzzed against the surface of the desk and made her jump.

**Ellie (10:05) Sorry… I'm awake now. What's the latest? xox**

**Charley (10:07) I'm at the hospital. Mum's in a meeting and Raf brought me to her office. I think he might suspect something's up. x**

**Ellie (10:08) Possibly… he has known me since I was nine. xox**

**Charley (10:08) That's what he said! x**

**Ellie (10:10) Any ideas yet? xox**

**Charley (10:12) Maybe… I've just found something interesting on Mum's desk. Hang on… x**

She scrabbled for the piece of paper that she'd been reading when Elinor's text had come through. Taking a quick photo of the, obviously confidential, document, she sent it through to her sister.

**Charley (10:15) What do you think? If we can somehow get this to Ma maybe it'll work? x**

**Ellie (10:19) The deadline's already passed. Also, how are would we get it to her. I can't just show her the photo and say my long lost twin sister sent it to me, can I? xox**

**Charley (10:20) I'll think of something. It's all we've got at the moment. x**

Putting her head on her hand and looking at the piece of paper again, Charlotte sighed. Elinor had made a good point; they needed some valid, official way of informing Bernie about that piece of paper otherwise there was no way she would even consider going for the job, particularly as the closing date had been and gone. With her qualifications and experience Charlotte was sure the lateness of her application would be overlooked, but that wasn't the biggest issue at the moment.

She was still mulling it over when the office door opened and Raf appeared. He had another smoothie in his hand and smiled at her warmly. She couldn't help grinning back, leaning back in the chair as he closed the door and walked over to the desk.

"I thought you might want this seeing as you're confined to the office." He said, holding out the drink.

"Thanks, Uncle Raf."

"What have you got there?" He asked, pulling the paper Charlotte had been brooding over towards him. "Trauma Consultant application? I know you're smart, Ellie, but I think you've got a way to go before you're ready for that, sweetheart. Besides, you've missed the application date."

She rolled her eyes at his teasing. "Obviously… give me a couple of years and that job will have my name written all over it."

"I don't doubt that." He laughed.

They smiled at each other for a moment until the mobile vibrated against the desk. Instinctively Raf's eyes drifted to the message that popped up on the screen. Charlotte's face drained of colour as he read the text, before looking at her in complete bewilderment.

**Ellie (10:33) We need to think of something fast, Charley, or it's going to be too late. I don't want Edward back in our lives… it never ends well for Mum. We need to reunite her and Ma fast! xox**

"Charley? You… you're _Charlotte_?"

"Wait?" The teenager's eyes widened in shock as his words sank in. "You know?"

"I… yes. I do know." Raf frowned. "But you… how? How are you here? Where's Elinor? I thought… I didn't think either of you knew…"

"Ellie's in Cheltenham at my house with Ma." Charlotte told him quickly, deciding that there was no point lying now. She stood up, closing the gap between them in her panic and desire to keep the truth hidden from everyone else. "We met at the drama course and it just… we worked it out. It was so obvious when we started talking. I really wanted to meet Mum and she wanted to meet Mama so we just… we switched places."

"And it worked? I'm the only person who has realised you're not Elinor and she's not Charlotte?" Raf looked impressed and horrified in equal measures. He shook his head. "I've got to tell Serena."

The teenager moved around him, placing herself in front of the door and grabbed his arm. "No! Please, Raf, you can't tell her. Not yet. I need more time with her. I… I've been missing her my whole life. Even if she thinks I'm Elinor at least I get to spend time with her."

"What are you planning to do?"

"We… we're not sure yet. We need more time." She sighed, shaking her head. "How do you know, anyway?"

"Serena had a bit too much to drink one night and it all came tumbling out." He told her reluctantly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I told her that my wife had cheated on me and she was telling me all about Bernie Wolfe, the love of her life. We haven't mentioned it since."

"Mama's the love of her life?" Charlotte smiled gently. "Then we definitely need to come up with a plan." She looked at him and grinned. "Uncle Raf, we might need your help."


	7. Chapter 7

Elinor heard the front door closing and took a deep breath, completely forgetting about the text conversation she'd just been having with Charlotte. She stood up and went into the hallway, seeing her grandfather, Bernie's father, for the very first time. He was hanging up his coat on the hallstand, but when he turned and saw her standing there he smiled broadly.

"Is that my little girl?" He asked in a light, teasing tone. His eyes sparkled as they landed on her, his whole face displaying his delight at seeing the teenager. "That tall, gangly thing?"

"Yes, it's me." She agreed softly.

"Welcome home, sweet pea!"

He opened his arms and Elinor immediately fell into them, hugging him tightly and inhaling his scent. He smelled of peppermint and pipe tobacco and she was sure she hadn't smelled anything quite so comforting before.

"What are you doing?" James asked in amusement, noticing her nose buried in his suit jacket.

"Nothing."

"How was the course, then? Tell me all about it." He ordered, leading her into the kitchen and putting the kettle on. "Was it quite as dreadful as you imagined it would be?"

Elinor laughed, imagining Charlotte telling her grandfather that in great depth before she went. "It wasn't as bad as I thought."

"But you still decided to get into a fight?"

"It wasn't quite like that, Gramps." She huffed, rolling her eyes. "Turns out I actually had a lot in common with the other girl."

He looked at her oddly for a moment. "Really?"

"Yep." Elinor nibbled on a biscuit distractedly. "Mama's gone for a run, but we're going out for lunch when she gets back."

He chuckled, muttering something about them disappearing for hours on end and not having anything to show for it when they came back, but the fond smile on his face told Elinor everything she needed to know about his relationship with his daughter and granddaughter. Launching into a story about something that had happened on his business trip, James Wolfe kept Elinor entertained until the front door opened again and Bernie appeared in the kitchen. She was hot, sweaty and dishevelled after her run, threatening her family with hugs until Elinor shrieked and stood behind her grandfather for protection.

* * *

"Mama…" The teenager put down her coke and looked at her mother seriously across the café table.

"Hmm?" Bernie glanced up from her empty plate distractedly. Catching sight of the expression that was being directed at her, she winced. "Oh… I know that face. What's up, sweetheart?"

"Will you tell me about Mum?"

"Why?"

Elinor fiddled with the straw in her drink. "I just… all I have is a name on my birth certificate and _one_ photo. I'm curious, that's all. No one ever matches up to her in your eyes and I want to know why."

"You know I don't like talking about her."

"I know… and I'm sorry, but… she's my mum, right? Please…"

Bernie let out a long sigh, rolling the corner of the serviette in front of her between her thumb and index finger. "Serena was… is…" She sighed again, clearly finding the topic difficult. "Serena was the love of my life, Charley. We met at medical school and I fell in love with her straight away. She was so… driven, focussed, intelligent. She was so beautiful, too, even when she was nine months pregnant with you and…"

"And?"

"And grumpy all the time." Bernie recovered quickly. "When we were at university she was so… so full of life. She made everything better, you know? Everything was brighter, somehow, when Serena was around. My life was brighter." A smile twisted her lips as she remembered. "There was this one night… it was a party for one of the post-grad's birthdays, I think. We went to a bar… O'Neils, maybe? Something like that, anyway. They had a pole installed and let's just say Serena taught me a thing or two that night. She was… gorgeous."

Elinor went scarlet; horrified at the image of her mother the blonde's words had conjured. " _That_ I didn't need to know."

"When did you become so easily embarrassed?" Bernie asked, arching an eyebrow. "I've said way worse things and you haven't batted an eyelid."

"I'm not embarrassed… I just…" She said unconvincingly. When Bernie continued to look at her in bemusement, she shrugged. "So what happened? Why did you split up?" She was sure that the older woman had been about to mention that she had a sister when she'd mentioned about Serena being pregnant.

"We just… grew up… grew apart."

Elinor shook her head. "Nope, try again. That's a terrible answer and I don't believe it for a second."

A small smirk twisted Bernie's lips at her refusal to accept the reason. "We… we wanted different things, I guess. We were both career driven and passionate… maybe a bit _too_ passionate. One day we just… we had an argument and Serena packed her bags and left. She didn't come back and that was that."

"Why didn't you go after her?" The teenager asked softly. "Why… didn't she love me?"

"No!" Bernie rounded the table and pulled her daughter into a tight hug, not caring that people were staring. "Of course she loved you, Charley." Blinking at the name, Elinor suddenly remembered the role she was playing. "She really did... so much… more than anything. It was just… it was too hard, too painful. We thought that this, a clean break, was the best option for everyone. Less painful…"

Elinor nodded slowly as her mother settled herself back in her seat, not really understanding why they would have come to that conclusion. "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I… I just…"

"No, love, it's OK. I had to talk about it sometime. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before." Bernie told her softly. "But don't ever think that me and your mother don't love you. You're the most important thing in the world to both of us, even if she's not here to tell you herself. I know Serena well enough to know that."

They left the café, heading slowly in the direction of home. It seemed like a cloud had lifted from Bernie after their conversation and she laughed and joked as they walked. Elinor snorted in amusement at her impressions of her colleagues at the hospital, until Bernie's phone rang and she pulled a face. The resulting conversation led to the blonde dropping a kiss into her daughter's hair and rushing off to work as soon as they arrived home.

Sighing as she realised she had missed several texts from her sister, Elinor read them quickly. Her face dropped as she realised what had been going on with Serena while she'd been having lunch with Bernie.

**Charley (13:12) Edward's come to take us out for lunch. Apparently there's something they want to talk to me about. This doesn't sound good, El. x**

**Charley (13:43) They're getting back together, Ellie! Code red! We need to do something NOW! x**

**Charley (13:47) This is really serious! Ring me as soon as you get this. x**

**Charley (14:02) ELLIE!!!!**

Wincing, Elinor selected Charlotte's number and held the mobile against her ear, sitting on the front wall and chewing her thumbnail as she waited for her sister to answer. As soon as she did, Charlotte immediately launched into a rant about the situation that was unravelling in front of her eyes, not letting her twin get a word in edgeways.

"Charley! Calm down!" She ordered firmly as soon as the other girl stopped to take a breath. "I don't understand what you're saying."

"Ellie! Mum and Edward are getting back together. We have to do something fast!"

"I've just had lunch with Mama. She practically told me that she still loves Mum, so we just need to find a way to make them bump into each other. Have you thought–?"

The sound of someone clearing their throat from behind her almost caused Elinor to drop the phone in surprise, but she just about managed to keep hold of it as she slid off the wall and whirled around. Her grandfather was looking at her, eyebrows raised and arms folded across his chest. The straw hat and gardening gloves did very little to prevent him looking incredibly threatening as he stared at her.

"I think we need to have a little chat, don't we, sweet pea?"

"I've got to go." Elinor muttered into the mobile, ignoring her sister's protests and hanging up. "Gramps, I…"

"You're Elinor, aren't you?" He asked softly. When she nodded, wincing at him, he sighed and pulled her into a tight hug. "Oh, princess."

"I'm sorry, I… we met at the drama course and figured everything out and I really wanted to meet Mama and Charley wanted to meet Mum and so we just…"

"I understand." He nodded, moving back to look at her closely. Elinor felt as though he was scrutinising her, looking for all the similarities and differences he could find between her and her twin. "I always thought it was a stupid idea separating you." Pulling her into another tight hug, he closed his eyes. "Too clever for your own good, you and your sister."

"You're not angry?"

"Why would I be angry, sweet pea?" James asked, shaking his head. "I just wish I'd had the guts to sort this out years ago."

"The problem is… Mum's getting back together with my stepfather. He's horrible, Gramps, seriously. She doesn't love him, not really. She just thinks it's better for me to have two parents, when in reality the only other parent I need is–"

"Bernie."

"Exactly." Elinor sighed deeply. "Charley found a job application for a Trauma Consultant and Co-Clinical Lead at Mum's hospital but we don't know how to get Mama to apply for it without her getting suspicious. The closing date has already passed, but Mama is so well qualified for the job that we're hoping they'll overlook a late application. The interviews are tomorrow, though, so time is really against us."

"Do you think it's such a good idea?" James asked, looking at her carefully.

"It's perfect. Mums won't have any choice. They'll have to spend time with each other and then they'll realise what they're missing. With Mama back on the scene Mum won't give Edward a second thought."

"If Bernie gets the job."

Elinor smiled. "Of course she'll get the job; she's brilliant."

"Can you get hold of a copy of the application?" Her grandfather asked, a slightly resigned expression crossing his face.

"I think so."

He nodded. "You get that form sorted and it'll all fall into place."


	8. Chapter 8

"Ellie?" Serena appeared in the doorway of her office, still dressed in her scrubs and clutching her leopard print cap in her hand. Her daughter looked up from the screen of her laptop and smiled warmly at her. "Edward's coming to take us out for lunch. There's something we need to talk to you about. I'll just change and then we'll be off, alright?"

She was gone before Charlotte had the opportunity to say anything. The fourteen-year-old's heart sank as the implications of what her mother had said hit her like a tonne of bricks. Pulling out her mobile she fired off a text to her sister, before standing and pacing the office, deep in thought.

**Charley (13:12) Edward's come to take us for lunch. Apparently there's something they want to talk to me about. This doesn't sound good, El. x**

Seeing Serena crossing the ward towards her, she grabbed the application form off the desk and slid it under the lid of her laptop out of sight. She wasn't quite sure what she was going to do with it yet, but she knew that if she left it there it would probably disappear.

"Ready, darling?" Serena asked, opening the door and smiling brightly at her.

Charlotte smiled back, her own expression far from cheerful as she thought about who they were heading to meet. "Can't we have lunch just you and me? I haven't had much chance to see you since I got back. You're always so busy."

"I know, I'm sorry." Wrapping her arm around Charlotte's shoulders, Serena pulled her into her side. "I've got a couple of days off next week, so we'll do something nice, alright? Just the two of us."

"That sounds good." The teenager agreed happily as they got into the lift and her mother pressed the button for the ground floor. "But… today, can't we just not meet him. I wanted to ask you something about… about my other mother."

Serena stiffened. "Listen, sweetheart, I know you're not Edward's number one fan, but he's really sorry for what he did and he's going to make it up to both of us. Just… give him a chance, OK?"

"What do you mean 'he's going to make it up to both of us'?" She demanded, her expression hardening.

"Just wait until we meet him, OK?"

They took a short taxi ride into town. Edward was already there, waiting on the pavement for them. He paid the driver, before wrapping an arm around Serena's waist and kissing her cheek. Turning to Charlotte, he beamed at her, leaning in to give her a hug. When the teenager flinched, he changed tack, reaching out and rubbing her upper arm instead.

"Hi, squirt." He greeted her, earning himself a frown from the teenager. "I've booked a table, come on."

Serena shot her a look that blatantly said 'behave' as they wound their way through the tables and took their seats. Charlotte buried herself in her menu so that she didn't have to watch Edward fawning over her mother across the table. Glancing up, she caught him reaching over to touch her hand, shooting her a wink as he did so. Charlotte thought she was going to be sick, making a disgusted sound and slouching in her seat.

"Ellie… we… Edward and I… we've been talking." Serena started, obviously nervous about the reaction her words were going to invoke. "We've decided to give it another go."

Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows, playing dumb. "Give what another go?"

"Our relationship."

"Why?"

"Because we feel that…"

Edward laid his hand over Serena's on the table, making her daughter scowl darkly. "When you get older you'll understand love, Ellie. What your mother and I have–"

"Excuse me while I throw up." Charlotte muttered.

"Elinor!" Serena glared at her. "Don't be so rude!"

"Rude? You're calling me rude? What about _him_?" The teenager demanded, standing up furiously. "Are you crazy? You're getting back together with _him_? What is wrong with you?"

"Elinor! What has got into you? This is not the sort of behaviour–"

Pulling out her mobile, she hastily tapped out a message to her sister, before turning back to her mother with a glare. "What's got into me? What's got into you, more like?"

"That's enough." Serena snapped. "Edward, I'm so sorry."

"Why the bloody hell are you apologising to him?" Charlotte demanded furiously, looking up from her mobile again. "He's the one who cheated and then walked out on you. He should be grovelling, on his knees, while you tell him where to go!"

Her mother's eyes flashed furiously and then she stood up, grabbing her things and motioning for the teenager to do the same. Charlotte didn't need telling twice, knocking her chair over and stalking away towards the exit, leaving Serena to catch up with her. They endured a silent taxi ride back to the hospital, the atmosphere between them icy and stifling. Serena ordered her back into her office, saying nothing else and then disappearing out onto the ward.

"About time!" Charlotte snapped into her mobile, answering Elinor's call on the first ring. "Where the hell have you been? Mum and Edward are back together and she's angry with _me_ because I pointed out what a dick he is but she can't see that, or doesn't want to see it, so now she's not talking to me and I don't know–"

"Charley! Calm down!" Elinor ordered in her ear, sounding totally confused by what she was hearing. "I don't understand what you're saying."

"Ellie! Mum and Edward are getting back together. We have to do something fast!"

"I've just had lunch with Mama. She practically told me that she still loves Mum, so we just need to find a way to make them bump into each other. Have you thought–?" Elinor broke off suddenly, her voice sounding odd and a little strained. "I've got to go."

"No! Wait! Ellie?" Realising that her sister had hung up, Charlotte slammed the mobile onto the desk furiously.

Opening the lid of her laptop, her eyes fell on the application form she had hidden before they went out. Ignoring the fact her stomach was rumbling – after being promised lunch and then denied it – she read through the requirements quickly. An idea occurred to her suddenly and a small smile spread across her face.

Charlotte knew all of the information required to complete the application in her mother's name. Biting her lip, she picked up a pen and started writing. Pausing as she tried to remember the exact date Bernie had left the RAMC, her mobile started buzzing again. Glancing at the name on the display, she frowned as she realised it was an unknown number. Well, it was unknown to the phone. Charlotte knew exactly who was calling.

"Hi, Gramps…"

"Charley, how are you, sweet pea?" He asked, without a single trace of anger in his voice. "How's your mother?"

Without warning something inside her broke and the teenager burst into tears. Sobbing loudly, she attempted to make herself understood, but Charlotte realised that she was fighting a losing battle. Not wanting to hang up, she listened to her grandfather's soothing words, getting more comfort from the tone than what he was actually saying. A few moments later, the office door opened and someone gently took the phone from her hand.

"Hello?" A Scottish voice asked, a hint of confusion clear in his tone. "Oh, hello, sir. This is Raf Di Lucca; I work with Serena. Yes, I… I know that this is Charlotte… yeah. She's OK… I think everything's just got a bit much. I will. Tell Ellie I said hi. Thanks."

"Raf?"

He smiled at her warmly, rubbing her shoulder. "So that was your Grandpa, eh?"

Charlotte nodded. "Yeah…"

"What are you up to, Charley?" He asked, sliding the paper in front of her into plain view. His eyes moved across it quickly, before he turned to look at her, eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

"It is!" She argued stubbornly. "It's like fate. This is Mama's dream job. Trauma Consultant and Co-Clinical Lead? She'd bite anyone's hand off to take this job. The closing date was the other day, though, so we need to get it in like yesterday."

"You do realise that she'll be working with Serena, though?"

Charlotte wrinkled her nose. "Well… she won't know until it's too late to do anything about it. But if they would just talk to each other…"

Raf let out a long, deep breath. "OK, I'll help you. But if anyone asks me about this I'm denying all knowledge."

Beaming at him, the teenager motioned for him to pull a spare chair over to the desk so that he could sit beside her. Together they worked through the application form, Raf's insider knowledge making sure that they were definitely making Bernie sound like the most attractive candidate for the position. When they were satisfied with their work, Charlotte stood, fully intending to take the application form up to Mr Hanssen's office herself.

"Wait, hang on." Raf shook his head. "It'll look suspicious if you take that up. Give it here."

Smiling gratefully at him as he took the sealed envelope and headed out onto the ward, Charlotte picked up the mobile and scrolled through. She saved her Grandfather's number, before selecting her own and ringing Elinor to inform her of what she'd just done.

Her sister was surprised to hear that Raf had helped her, but delighted that Charlotte had been able to complete the first step of their plan so quickly. The next thing that they needed to do was inform Bernie of what they'd done. It needed to be sooner, rather than later, due to the interview date and the fact they assumed Hanssen would be in touch with her the next day.

"What am I supposed to say?" Elinor asked, clearly worried. "How do I tell her all of this without her hating me?"

"She _won't_ hate you." Charlotte reassured her. "But you're going to have to tell her, Ellie. If you don't tell her before she gets the call it's going to be so much worse."

"Fine, fine… I'll find a way."

Charlotte smiled weakly. "Give Mama a kiss for me, will you? And Gramps, too." She ran a hand nervously through her hair. "And Ellie? Hurry!"

Placing the mobile on the desk, Charlotte dropped into Serena's desk chair. She leant back, bashing her head against the headrest a couple of times, before letting out a long, low breath.

"I think we need to have a little chat." Serena announced, entering the office and closing the door. Her daughter gasped softly, relieved that she hadn't arrived moments earlier.

"About…?"

"You're not serious?"

The teenager rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm not. We clearly need to have a little chat about what's caused you to lose your mind."

"Elinor!"

"Mum." Charlotte fixed her with a determined frown. "He's not right for you, you know that. He won't change; he never has before." She shook her head, feeling her eyes pricking with tears. "I'm sorry… I just… I don't want you to get hurt, Mum. Not when…"

"When?"

"Bernie."

Serena's eyes widened in shock. "Wh– what?"

"That was my mother's name, right?" Charlotte asked, watching her carefully.

Serena backed towards the door, feeling behind her for the handle. "I… I've got to… theatre…"

Charlotte flopped back against the chair once more, closing her eyes and exhaling sharply.


	9. Chapter 9

"OK, I've got a day off." Bernie announced, appearing in the kitchen the next morning.

Elinor had been up for a while, clutching her mug of coffee and thinking about how to tell her mother the truth about the whole situation she and Charlotte had concocted. Bernie had been stuck at the hospital the night before, so she had been able to avoid having the conversation she was dreading so much. James had advised his granddaughter to come clean before the phone call about the job happened, agreeing with Charlotte that it would be easier if she got there first.

"Charley?" The blonde peered at her in concern. "You alright, love?"

"Yeah, sorry… thinking."

"Ouch!" Bernie laughed. "You want to be careful doing that."

"Ha ha." Elinor took a deep breath, deciding to get it over and done with, to just blurt it out, but Bernie got there first.

"So, day off… fancy going to the zoo, love? I know how much you love the animals."

"Not today." She replied as calmly as she could, twisting her hands in her lap. "We've got somewhere we need to be."

"Oh?" Bernie arched an eyebrow in amusement. "We do, do we?"

"Mmhmm…"

"May I ask where, Charley?"

"That's where we have to go. We have to go and see Charley."

"I see." Bernie looked totally bemused by her daughter's words. "And where would Charley be?"

"Holby General Hospital."

The blonde's eyebrows furrowed. "What? Charlotte, what are you talking about?"

"I'm not Charlotte."

"You're…" The mug slipped from Bernie's hand and smashed on the kitchen tiles. Neither of them even blinked, staring at each other as though time had stopped. The blonde's expression was full of wonder, while Elinor looked absolutely terrified at what might be heading her way. "You're not Charley?"

"That would be correct."

"You're _Elinor_?"

"I am."

"That explains so much…" Bernie muttered, shaking her head slowly.

The teenager took a deep breath, swallowing nervously. "Charley and I met on the drama course and we decided to switch places. I'm sorry, but I'd never seen you and I'd dreamt of meeting you my whole life and Charley felt the exact same way about Mum, so we just sort of switched lives." She looked down at the table. "I hope you're not angry because I love you so much and I just hope one day you can love me as me and not as Charley."

"Oh, sweetheart, I've loved you your whole life." Bernie strode across the room and pulled Elinor into her arms, holding her tightly. The teenager wrapped her arms around her mother, squeezing her eyes closed and clinging on as though she was a lifebelt and she was drowning. "Why didn't you tell me it was you all along?"

"I was scared." Elinor admitted quietly, pulling back to look at her, eyes still full of fear. "I suppose you have to switch us back now?"

Bernie shrugged, her hands still cupping the teenager's face gently. "Legally, you belong to your mother and Charley belongs to me."

"No offense, Mama, but this arrangement is complete bollocks."

"I agree, it is." Bernie laughed, shaking her head at the expression. "Does your mother let you use phrases like that?" The look on Elinor's face was enough of an answer to that question. She sighed. "We really need to sort this out, properly."

"I guess we'll just have to go to Holby and see Mum and Charley and work this whole thing out."

"I guess we will." Bernie agreed, letting her hands drop to her sides and biting her lip nervously.

"Are you nervous about seeing Mum again?"

The blonde looked at her sharply, before rolling her eyes. "No, of course not. I can handle seeing Serena McKinnie after all these years. People see their ex's all the time, don't they? Don't worry, sweetheart, it'll be fine."

"Serena Campbell." Elinor corrected her. When Bernie frowned, she shrugged. "We took my stepfather's name when they got married."

Bernie's face fell. "She's married?"

"Divorced." The teenager assured her. "Completely and utterly 100% divorced."

"Right…"

"There's one more thing." Elinor said quickly, making Bernie look at her as though she really couldn't deal with any more revelations. "There might be a man called Henrik Hanssen phoning you later to offer you an interview."

"Ellie?"

The teenager wrinkled her nose. "We kinda applied for a job at Holby General for you… Trauma Consultant and Co-Clinical Lead."

"What?" Bernie's mouth dropped open. "Why would you…?"

"We think you'd be amazing at it. Charley said it would be your dream job and we just thought… if you moved to Holby…"

"I don't believe this." The blonde muttered, running her hands through her hair and turning away. "I can't believe you did that. This is too much…"

"I'm sorry…"

Turning, she saw the tears gathering in Elinor's eyes and sighed. Crossing the room, she gathered her into her arms and held her tightly. "It's OK… I'll figure it out, right? Go and… go and pack your stuff. Apparently we're off to Holby."

* * *

"Back again, Miss Campbell?" Henrik Hanssen asked conversationally, spotting Charlotte loitering around Pulses with her mobile clutched tightly in her hand. She jumped at the sound of the name she was borrowing, turning and staring at him wide-eyed for a moment. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, sorry, Mr H." She apologised. "You OK?"

The ghost of a smirk appeared on his face for a moment before it disappeared. "I'm perfectly fine, thank you. I believe I'm supposed to be meeting an applicant for the job as Co-Clinical Lead with your mother in here." He glanced at his watch. "I think she must be running a little late."

Charlotte smirked, thoroughly unsurprised that Bernie was late for her appointment. She motioned towards the counter. "I was just picking up supplies."

"Ahh, well done. I'm sure Serena could do with a sugar fix. She was just coming out of a very successful oesophagogastrectomy when I saw her a moment ago."

Smiling at him, Charlotte nodded and moved to stand in the queue. She observed him thoughtfully as he glanced at his watch again, before settling into a seat at the table the teenager had just been sitting at. Looking at her mobile she willed a message to come through from her sister, informing her that they had arrived. Almost as though by magic, the handset started vibrating.

**Ellie (14:39) Just parking up. I'm so excited to see you. xox**

Charlotte beamed down at her phone, stuffing it into her back pocket and completely forgetting about buying her mother a coffee. Leaving the queue, she rushed through the automatic doors and looked around wildly for a sign of Bernie and Elinor.

"Charley!"

"Mama!"

Launching herself down the ramp, Charlotte threw herself into Bernie's waiting arms, hugging her tightly. The blonde pulled back and looked at her for a moment, before hugging her again, dragging Elinor into the embrace as well. For a couple of moments they stood in the car park together, before Bernie pulled away and looked between them.

"Okay you two... How could you do this to me?" She demanded, arching an eyebrow and looking more threatening than she had for a long time.

Charlotte held up her hands. "You can yell at us later, Ma. Mr Hanssen is waiting for you in the café. You're late!"

"Yeah… the sat nav wanted to take us–"

"Just get in there and get yourself the job!" Her daughter replied, cutting her off and laughing.

Sending her a mock salute, Bernie shouldered her bag more firmly and headed into the building. The two teenagers looked at each other for a moment, before falling into each other's arms and laughing with delight at what they had managed to achieve. They talked over each other, saying anything and everything they could remember, laughing and generally relishing being in each other's company once more. A sense of triumph settled over them as they headed slowly inside the hospital.

Glancing towards the table where Bernie and the CEO were talking, Elinor nudged her sister in the ribs, grinning broadly. Charlotte was about to open her mouth to speak, when the lift door opened and Serena stepped out. Squeaking in surprise, Charlotte acted first, turning away and studying the ward map with sudden interest.

"Ellie!" Serena spotted Elinor and strode towards her, thankfully not noticing the other teenager who was doing her best to remain undetected. "I was wondering where you'd got to. Did you grab the coffees?"

"Oh… Mum!" She threw her arms around Serena, hugging her tightly.

"Darling? Are you alright?" The woman was concerned by the sudden display of affection, pulling back to look at her anxiously.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just… I missed you."

Laughing softly, Serena cupped her cheek and shook her head. "Bless you. I was only in theatre."

"I know, but I just… after our argument…"

A severe look appeared on the older woman's face and she straightened, dropping her hand to her side. "Yes, about that… Edward's coming to meet us in a few minutes and I would like you to apologise for your rudeness."

"But, Mum–"

"No buts, Elinor."

"But–"

"I said no." Serena reminded her, pressing the button and bringing the lift back down to the ground floor. Closing her eyes for a moment, she let out a soft breath. "I will, however, talk to you about your mother, later, if you still want to know."

"Of course I do!" Elinor replied eagerly. "I… thank you."

Serena nodded briskly, before frowning at her daughter in confusion for a moment. "Were you wearing that outfit earlier?"

"What?" Elinor blinked nervously. "Yeah, course I was."

"Right… I could have sworn… is that a new outfit?" The lift pinged and the doors opened. She was distracted by something her daughter couldn't see. "Oh look!" She smiled, drawing the teenager's attention to someone striding across the lobby towards them. "Edward! Excellent timing."

Nodding miserably, Elinor followed them into the lift and leant against the wall as Serena pressed the button to take them up to AAU. Although she would rather be anywhere else, the idea of leaving her mother and Edward alone in the lift was not something she was going to allow. Glaring at him furiously, Elinor folded her arms and huffed. Serena sighed at her daughter's reaction to the appearance of her stepfather, before turning to look out at the café. As the doors began to close, Edward wrapped his arm around her waist, leaning in to press a kiss to her cheek. Serena smiled until she caught sight of messy blonde hair and familiar deep brown eyes gazing in their direction. Her mouth dropped open as Bernie Wolfe sent her a small, uncertain wave.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you so much for your lovely comments! I am currently so busy and tired that I would like nothing more than to hibernate for a month. 
> 
> Failing that, I'd like you to enjoy this chapter!

As the lift reached the correct floor for AAU, Elinor made a big show of having forgotten her bag. Serena rolled her eyes and impatiently told her to go back down and find it if it was that important to her. Anxiously the teenager slammed her hand on the button for the ground floor, dancing from foot to foot as she waited for it to descend.

"Ellie!" Charley grabbed her arm as soon as she stepped out. "What did he want?"

"Worming his way even further into Mum's good books, probably."

"Do you think she saw Mama?"

"I think there's a very good chance she saw me." Bernie announced irritably, frowning between the teenagers. "One of you, I'm not entirely sure which at this moment in time, told me your mother knew I was going to be here today and I'm telling you that the woman I just saw in the lift had absolutely no idea she and I were on the same planet, let alone in the same hospital."

"Sorry…" Her daughters chorused, identical winces covering their faces.

"It was horrible! She looked as though she'd seen the bloody ghost of Christmas past. I told you I wouldn't be nervous seeing her again, but _obviously_ that was a lie! Don't you think I've wondered what it was going to be like to see your mother again after all these years?" The twins looked at each other, but Bernie didn't wait for an answer. "Well, let me tell you; me waving like a lovesick, mindless idiot while Serena Campbell – who still looks so ridiculously beautiful it's highly unfair and apparently hasn't aged at all – is being kissed by some _man_ isn't exactly the scenario I had in mind!"

"Sorry, Mama." Elinor apologised, wincing again. "That's Edward…"

"He's a complete asshole, Mama!" Charlotte cut in quickly. "He wants to get back together with her."

"He is truly awful, Mama… We can't let her go through with it!"

"Girls, your mother is a grown woman and quite capable of deciding who she wants to–"

"But he's all wrong for her. All he ever does is hurt her." Elinor said desperately. "The only way she won't let him come back is…" She turned to her sister quickly, looking uncertain. "You tell her, she knows you better."

"Well… is if she sees you again, Ma." Charlotte finished with a shrug.

Bernie rubbed her forehead tiredly. "You're trying to fix me up with your mother."

Elinor shrugged. "Why not? You're perfect for each other. You said yourself she's the love of your life."

Huffing loudly, defences rising immediately, the blonde shook her head. "I'm going to say this _once_ , alright? Serena Campbell and I have nothing in common anymore. It's nothing to do with me whether she wants to get back together with her ex. The two of you are going to explain to your mother that I am here for one purpose only and that is to switch you two back. Understood?"

"What about the job?"

"Don't be ridiculous! How can I take the job here? That would be… excruciating." Bernie told them angrily. Her daughters thought it was more to do with disappointment than anything else. "That is the end of it. Am I clear?"

They mumbled that they understood and watched as she strode back to the café, composing herself for a moment before settling herself opposite Hanssen once more with a grim expression on her face. Elinor shot Charlotte a look, wondering what their next move should be. The look of abject defeat on her sister's face threw her for a moment.

"You're not thinking that we should give up, are you?"

"Of course not." Charlotte shook her head, fixing her with a determined look. "I'm just wondering where to go from here."

"Well one of us has got to get back upstairs and deal with Mum and Edward. I'll handle that, if you want?"

"OK. You do that. I'll stay here and keep an eye on this situation. Maybe Hanssen will be able to talk Ma round. He's obviously keen for her to work here if he gave her an interview even though her application was after the deadline."

Nodding, Elinor headed towards the lift and pressed the button. She squeezed Charlotte's arm reassuringly before the doors closed and carried her up to AAU. Serena sighed deeply when she saw her daughter, apparently agitated by something and keen to leave the hospital. It didn't take a genius to work out that her change in mood was directly connected to her sighting of the blonde downstairs.

"Come on, let's get going before my lunch break ends." She ordered in a harsher than normal tone.

"Oh!" Elinor spotted Raf by the nurses' station and realised she should probably speak to him. "I need to talk to Uncle Raf for a minute. I'll meet you downstairs. If I take the stairs I'll probably get there before you, anyway."

Serena was about to argue but her daughter had darted away before she could say anything. She took a couple of steps towards her, unwilling to let Elinor head downstairs alone in case she bumped into Bernie, but Edward ambushed her, pulling her into the lift. Serena's eyes fixed on her daughter as the doors closed. While he attempted to wrap his arms around her and steal kisses in the privacy of the lift, Serena frowned, pushing him away and straightening her jacket. She wasn't sure why, but the thought of Bernie catching sight of her looking less than her best was making her uncomfortable.

"Go and wait in the car." She ordered when they walked out into the lobby. When Edward looked at her in confusion, Serena shrugged, her expression not softening in the slightest. "I need a quick word with Hanssen before I can leave. I'll wait for Ellie and then we'll join you."

Nodding, he headed out into the car park and Serena let out a breath of relief she hadn't known she was holding. Spotting Bernie standing beside one of the columns, completely distracted by fiddling with the buckle on her coat, the brunette strode towards her, rubbing at the nape of her neck nervously.

"Bernie…"

The other woman's head whipped up at her voice, her eyes softening as they met the brunette's. "Serena, hello, long time no see." She smiled nervously. "Please try not to go crazy…"

"What's going on? I haven't seen or heard from you in thirteen years and suddenly you're here… at my place of work?" Serena hissed angrily.

"I got you a double shot… figured you might need the extra…" Charlotte trailed off as she looked up from her phone and realised that Bernie was no longer alone. "Oh… hi?"

Serena looked gobsmacked. "Elinor… you know who this is?"

The teenager smiled weakly. "Actually, yes… and actually I'm not Ellie."

"I am." Elinor announced, appearing on Bernie's other side and sending her mother an identical smile to her sister. "Hi, Mum."

Looking as though she was about to faint, Serena looked between them almost desperately. "Both of them… Charlotte? Elinor?"

"Hi." They chorused weakly.

"Apparently you think alike, because you both sent us on the same drama course." Charlotte informed her quickly.

"We figured it all out and decided to switch places so that Charley could meet you and I could meet Mama."

"So…" Serena rubbed her forehead agitatedly. "Let me get this straight… I've had Charlotte with me for the past few days?"

Bernie nodded weakly. "They tricked us, Serena."

"Sorry…" Charlotte winced. "We just really wanted to get to know our mothers."

The information took a moment to sink in; with Serena staring between the three faces looking at her. Breath hitching, she reached out and pulled Charlotte into her arms, burying her face in the teenager's hair. When she looked up, Bernie was standing with her arm around Elinor's shoulders, smiling fondly at them.

"I can't believe it… you… the last time I saw you… my darling…"

Charlotte smiled and hugged her again. Elinor was unable to hold back and launched herself into the hug as well, both of them pressing kisses to Serena's cheeks at the same time. She laughed, batting them off before stepping back and regarding them with a disbelieving smile.

"My beautiful girls…"

"I, for one, don't understand why you broke up in the first place." Charlotte said bluntly, glancing over her shoulder at Bernie. "You're both so amazing."

"She's right." Elinor agreed seriously, folding her arms across her chest and nodding. "You must have been mad."

Bernie cleared her throat, her eyes never leaving Serena's. "Girls, go and grab yourselves a coffee or something. I think we need to talk for a couple of minutes… without you two here."

The two women stood for a moment, watching their daughters joining the queue at the counter. They looked so at ease with each other, as though they'd never been separated. The sight warmed both women's hearts.

"I can't believe this." Serena murmured finally. "Both of them… together. And you…"

"How are you, Serena?"

"I'm fine. How are you?"

"I've had better days." Bernie admitted, shrugging her shoulders and pushing her hands into her trouser pockets. "I'm really sorry… I had no idea you didn't know I'd be here."

"Why _are_ you here?"

"I had an interview with Mr Hanssen."

"The Trauma post?"

Bernie nodded. "Obviously if it's a problem, me being in the same hospital, then–"

"Try the same ward." Serena told her with a wry smile. "I put the 'Co' in the Co-Clinical Lead."

"Oh…" She smiled sadly. "I'm guessing you'd prefer if I turned it down, then."

Before Serena could answer, a man appeared beside her, reaching out and touching her waist lightly. Bernie's hackles rose instantly at the proprietorial air that seemed to surround the way he was regarding Serena and she couldn't help her eyes narrowing as she stared at him. The other woman, seeing where her gaze was directed, straightened slightly so that his hand dropped to his side and smiled tightly.

"Bernie, this is Edward Campbell, my ex-husband." Serena introduced them. Bernie's face darkened. "Edward, this is Ms Berenice Wolfe."

"Ms Wolfe!" He reached out and shook her hand enthusiastically, not noticing the way she was looking at him. "A pleasure to meet you. I read your paper on the need for thoracotomy in blunt traumas and I have to say you raised some interesting arguments."

"Thank you."

"So, how do you ladies know each other?" He asked looking between them, apparently not noticing both women flinching at the question.

"They're our Mums." Elinor announced, she and Charlotte making their presence known and fixing him with the same fierce stare.

Edward looked between the two teenagers in abject astonishment. "There… two of you?"

"Didn't I mention Ellie was a twin?" Serena asked lightly, already knowing the answer.

"No, actually, you didn't."

"Don't worry, Edward." Elinor said with a sarcastic smile. "It slipped her mind whenever she spoke to me, too. Charlotte and I met, completely by accident, on that drama course. It's a small world, huh?"

"And Mama's here to accept a job from Mr Hanssen, which will be excellent because it means we'll all be back together again." Charlotte added, much to their mothers' consternation. "One big, happy family."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The penultimate chapter!
> 
> Thank you so much for coming along on the ride... from the slightly mad plot bunny that refused to die, to 12 chapters and a whole fic later!
> 
> x

"I can't believe you talked me into this." Bernie muttered, frowning at her daughter as they walked along the road towards the restaurant where they were meeting Serena and Elinor.

They had decided that now everything was out in the open they needed to sit down and discuss what they were going to do, properly. The teenagers were not content with the idea of just going back to how things had been before, wanting to spend more time with each other and both of their mothers in the future. Serena and Bernie had agreed that they couldn't keep them apart any longer, neither sure how they had actually managed it up until that point.

Elinor and Charlotte had steamrollered them into agreeing to meet for dinner at a restaurant that Serena loved and so Bernie and Charlotte had booked into a hotel for the night. The blonde had been worrying that she had nothing to wear; until she pulled a red dress out of her case that she had not worn for years. Charlotte had merely shrugged innocently and said that Elinor had obviously thought she might need it, much to her mother's irritation.

"It's just dinner, Mama." The teenager rolled her eyes. "Don't be so melodramatic. It's not like we're asking you to get married or anything."

"Charlotte."

The fourteen-year-old merely smiled innocently and led the way through the tables towards where Serena and Elinor were waiting for them. Bernie's mouth went dry at the sight of her ex-wife. Serena was dressed in a black off-the-shoulder dress that stopped a little above her knees. It was clingy and hugged her figure in the best possible way. Similarly, Serena couldn't seem to force her brain to produce a coherent sentence as she gazed at Bernie. The red dress had a fitted bodice, but the skirt was made of a floaty material, which seemed to be giving the illusion of her legs going on for miles, although the stilettos she was wearing may have been helping with that, too.

"So… we'll catch you later, then." Charlotte was saying when both women managed to regain control of their senses. There was a smirk on her face and Bernie was in no doubt that she knew exactly where their attention had been.

"Later?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, Charley and I have other plans." Elinor told them with a shrug.

"Don't do anything we wouldn't do!"

Before their mothers could say anything, the teenagers had vanished through the tables. Serena shook her head, muttering under her breath, before turning back to Bernie with a slightly embarrassed smile on her face. She was relieved to see that the blonde looked just as shell-shocked as she did.

"Wow…"

"Did they just…?"

"I rather think they did." Bernie agreed. "They tricked us into a date."

Serena shook her head. "They're too clever for their own good."

Laughing softly, Bernie was forced to agree. Deciding to make the most of the situation, they opened their menus making small talk as they perused the lists of food and drink.

"You still drink Shiraz, right?" Bernie asked when the waiter appeared. Serena looked a little surprised, but nodded. "Great."

Asking for a bottle of the most expensive Shiraz on the list, the blonde rattled off the rest of her order, before glancing at Serena questioningly. The waiter nodded, making a note of their choices, before heading away towards the kitchens. Serena shook her head, remembering just how Bernie got when she was hungry. She should have guessed that Charlotte would have turned out the same way. It should have been a dead giveaway that the teenager seemed almost constantly hungry.

"Tell me about Ellie?" Bernie requested softly, drawing Serena from her thoughts. "What was she like as a child?"

"She's still a child, Bern."

"She's so grown up… They both are. I can't believe we've missed so much."

"I know." Serena agreed sadly.

"Charlotte has always wanted to work with animals." Bernie announced, deciding to lighten the conversation somewhat. "Zoo keeper, vet, pet shop owner, farmer… she doesn't care what she does as long as it involves animals in some way. I've lost track of the number of pets she's had over the years… I say _had_. Demanded is more accurate. We've got a dog, two cats, a rabbit, a guinea pig and five gerbils at the moment." The blonde laughed at the expression of disbelief on the other woman's face. "She had a pair of Chinchillas when she was ten… Anna and Elsa. Bloody things were a nightmare! They kept escaping and chewing things. When she was seven she asked for a Dumbo Rat… I wasn't keen at first, but Gru was pretty sweet really."

"You actually bought Charley a rat?"

"Yeah, well, I was on tour most of the time, remember." She joked. "Dad didn't mind, which was a bonus."

"How is your Dad?"

"He's well, thanks." Bernie smiled brightly. "Asked me to send you his love."

"Send mine back. I always liked your Dad." Serena smiled warmly at the memory of the older man. "When Elinor was seven, she decided that she wanted to be a hairdresser. She opened her own salon in our garden, invited all her friends around and charged them for various different things. I had to step in when she started trying to cut their hair."

"Do you realise that Charlotte cut Ellie's hair so that they'd look the same?" Bernie asked, trying not to laugh. "Apparently she pierced her ears and nose, too. I hope Ellie's up to date with her tetanus vaccinations."

"Oh good lord…" Serena hid her face with one hand. "They did all that just so that they could switch places?"

Bernie fiddled with her knife, dropping her gaze so that she couldn't meet Serena's eyes. "Maybe we should talk about what happened between us. It all feels a bit hazy to me now… It ended so fast."

"Maybe another time, Bernie." Serena sighed. "Right now we need to decide what to do about the girls. We can't go on like this."

"I know… maybe Charley could come to you first and third weekends and Ellie could come to me second and fourth? Or the other way round, if that works better for you."

"Alternate holidays?"

Bernie nodded. Then she glanced up at the brunette under her fringe. "It's not great, is it?"

"That's why we came up with this solution." Serena reminded her tiredly.

"I thought it was because we decided never to see each other again."

"I don't remember." The reply was clipped and blunt.

Bernie snorted with disbelief. "You don't remember packing your bags and walking out?"

Serena winced. "No, I remember that. Did I hurt you when I threw that book?"

"Medical textbooks aren't exactly light, Rena." She replied flippantly. "So… Edward? Any other ex-husbands lurking in the shadows?"

"No." The brunette shook her head vehemently. "You?"

"Marcus… that marriage lasted about as long as it took for me to get to Afghanistan and realise that Charley didn't need a father-figure after all." Bernie said shaking her head. "I panicked about leaving her when I found out about my first deployment with the RAMC. He proposed and I said yes. It was never right and it would never have worked out. Dad was all she needed while I was gone. Charley told me as much before, during and after I married him."

"How many tours did you do?"

"Five." Bernie told her with a sigh. "Leaving Charley was always hard, but the last few tours felt like absolute torture, so that was that. She asked and I left."

"When…?"

"I officially became a civilian last November."

"Congratulations." Serena said, raising her glass in the blonde's direction.

"Thank you." Bernie chuckled, clinking her own glass against it. "So… Edward?" When Serena huffed, she smiled. "The girls told me you're thinking about getting back together with him."

"Well… not really, I…" Serena shrugged, taking a gulp of her wine and suddenly feeling rather uncomfortable.

"Why did you leave?" Bernie asked suddenly. "The day you packed your things and went… why?"

"I… we were always rowing, Bernie. Everything turned into an argument."

"We were both career-driven." She reminded her. "It was tough."

"You didn't come after me." The brunette told her in a small voice.

"I didn't know I was supposed to."

They looked at each other for a moment, before Serena pulled herself together and topped up her glass of wine. "Well, it really doesn't matter now. Let's put on a good face for the kids and get this all sorted out."

"OK." Bernie nodded sadly, turning her attention to her dinner, just as Serena was. "Yeah, you're right."

* * *

Bernie shook Hanssen's hand, a smile on her face that didn't quite meet her eyes. He told her that, should she change her mind and decide to accept the job after all, he would be grateful if she would let him know as soon as she decided. Bernie thanked him, before walking towards the entrance of the hospital where Serena and their daughters were waiting for her.

It was pouring with rain, big, angry droplets bouncing off the tarmac with force. Bernie couldn't help feeling that the weather perfectly reflected the mood of the little huddle that she was heading for. The blonde herself felt as though she had her own, personal storm cloud hovering just above her head.

"So, I'll bring Charley over to yours on Friday." She said quietly as she joined them, resting her hands lightly on the girl in question's shoulders.

Serena nodded. "I'll drop her back on Sunday night and then drop Ellie off next Friday?"

"Perfect."

"Do we really have to do this?" Charlotte asked miserably, looking between them. "If you just take the job here–"

"Enough." Bernie muttered in her ear.

"But why not?" Elinor asked, looking at her dejectedly. "If you moved to Holby we could see each other all the time."

"We'll see each other loads, sweetheart." The blonde assured her, holding out her arms to the teenager.

Serena hugged Charlotte, kissing her forehead before the four of them returned to looking at each other once more. With a deep sigh Charlotte waved at her sister before hurriedly following Bernie down the ramp and towards their car, heads bowed against the torrential rain. She looked over her shoulder through the back windshield, watching the two figures still standing beside the door as they headed back to Cheltenham.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, so... I couldn't leave you hanging for any longer! It's the ending you've all been sticking around for ;)
> 
> I hope you enjoy it and, again, thank you all so much!
> 
> x

"This is bloody ridiculous." Bernie muttered, indicating and taking the exit off the motorway that would take them back towards Holby. "I can't believe you forgot your purse."

"Sorry, Mama." Charlotte shrugged innocently. "I do need it, though."

"That's why I'm driving you back to Serena's house." Her mother replied irritably, blatantly wishing that she wasn't.

The teenager shrugged, knowing that her mother wasn't going to snap out of her mood for a while. She hadn't actually forgotten her purse, it was tucked safely in her bag, but Elinor had text her to say that Serena was cooking lamb and she had to find a way to persuade Bernie to come back. The enormity of the situation was lost on Charlotte, until her sister explained that Serena _never_ cooked lamb, knowing that it was Bernie's favourite.

As they pulled up outside the house, Charlotte jumped out of the car and jogged up the path. She grinned at Elinor, who made a great show of being surprised to see her again so soon, until Serena appeared. Together they almost bulldozed their way to securing an invitation to dinner for Bernie and Charlotte.

"Hey, Mama… Mum's invited us for dinner." Charlotte announced, leaning down to speak to Bernie through the window.

"Absolutely not, Charley." She shook her head. "I'm on the early shift in the morning."

"But I'm starving and it's lamb… your favourite."

Bernie hesitated, seeing the pleading expression on her daughter's face. She had always been terrible at saying no to the fourteen-year-old and so, with a reluctant sigh she killed the ignition and climbed out of the car, following Charlotte up the pathway and into the house. Awkwardly she looked around Serena's home, pushing her hands into her pockets.

"Thank you." She said as Serena handed her a glass of wine. "I'm assuming they didn't give you much choice about this?"

"Not really." The brunette agreed with a small smile. "It's fine, though."

"Where are the gruesome twosome, anyway?"

"Upstairs… I don't know what they're plotting and I don't think I want to know, either."

Bernie laughed easily, leaning against the counter as Serena fussed with something on the hob. "No Edward? I thought maybe he'd be here? If I'm intruding…"

Serena scoffed. "He's long gone. Apparently he didn't sign up for twin daughters and a brilliant ex-wife. He always was selfish. Good riddance, I say!"

"A brilliant ex-wife?"

Serena blushed. "His words, I assure you."

"I'm sorry."

"For?"

"Well… it's never nice being dumped. If I played a part in that…"

"Don't flatter yourself, Berenice." Serena replied bluntly. The small smirk on her face told Bernie that she wasn't actually angry with her. "It's no big loss."

"You're relieved?"

"Yes." She admitted. "I don't love him… never did, I don't think. I was just fooling myself."

"Serena…"

Bernie stepped forward, closing the space between them. Her eyes searched Serena's for a moment, before flickering down to her mouth. The brunette's breath hitched at their proximity and she couldn't help herself tracing the outline of Bernie's lips with her eyes. She wondered whether they were still as soft as she remembered. Would Bernie make the same soft hum that made Serena's knees go week if she pressed her lips to the spot underneath her jaw. She had just made up her mind to find out when a sound from the hallway caused them to each take a hurried step backwards.

"Mum?" The girls appeared in the kitchen, looking between their mothers with curious expression on their faces. "Is dinner ready?"

"Yes, sit yourselves down." Serena nodded, turning away and missing the soft sigh that escaped Bernie's lips as she moved.

"You can sit here, Mama." Elinor suggested, almost pushing the blonde into the chair opposite Serena's normal seat, before settling herself between them with Charlotte opposite. "It smells delicious."

"Yeah, it does." Charlotte agreed. "Lush."

Serena served up and they ate together, all four of them unable to believe how normal it felt. They chatted about everything and nothing, although they were all very careful to avoid any possibly sensitive subjects. Elinor pouted as they teased her gently about her crush on Adam Cartwright, the boy who'd been playing Danny Zuko in the drama course musical. Getting her revenge, she asked Charlotte who Jake was, laughing as her sister turned crimson.

All too soon the meal was finished and Bernie reluctantly suggested that it was time for her and Charlotte to go. Leaving this time was much harder than it had been earlier and the twins clung onto each other tightly, not wanting to let go.

"Come on, sweetheart…" Bernie urged gently, wrapping her arms around Elinor. "I'll see you on Friday, OK?"

"That's ages…"

"It's two days, love." The blonde chuckled.

As she turned, her eyes met Serena's and she smiled weakly. The brunette nodded in return, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as she watched Bernie and Charlotte walking down the path towards their car. Feeling Elinor at her side, she wrapped one arm around her shoulders, pulling her close and dropping a kiss onto the top of her head. As Bernie pulled away from the curb, Elinor turned and headed upstairs to her bedroom and Serena sighed deeply, closing the front door with a thud that sounded oddly final.

Wandering aimlessly into the living room, Serena reached for the wine glass she'd abandoned when Charlotte had knocked on the front door hours earlier. She glanced up, her eyes finding her graduation photo hanging on the wall above the sofa. They looked so young and happy, Bernie and she, gazing at each other with bright eyes full of love. Serena had never felt what she felt for Bernie for anyone else and she doubted she ever would.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She muttered to herself. "What are you doing? She explodes back into your life and you're just standing here?"

Moving into the hallway, she hunted in the hallstand drawer for her keys, swearing as they eluded her. Finally wrapping her hand around the car fob, she let out a triumphant sound, before moving to the foot of the staircase.

"Ellie!" She shouted. "Elinor!"

"What?" The teenager asked, leaning over the banisters. Her eyes were red and Serena knew she'd been crying.

"Come on. Quickly…"

"What's wrong?" Elinor asked, hurrying to comply with her mother's request. "Mum?"

"I'm such an idiot!" Serena told her, ushering the fourteen-year-old out of the door and into the car. "I just let her leave! What's wrong with me?"

"Are you… Mum?" Her daughter blinked, a smile spreading slowly across her face. "Are we going to Mama's?"

Serena nodded, smiling brightly at her. "Yes, that's exactly where we're going."

* * *

"Stop sulking, Charlotte." Bernie ordered as they made their way back towards the car with bulging shopping bags in their hands. "What did you _honestly_ think was going to happen?"

The teenager said nothing, loading the shopping into the boot and moving round to the passenger's side. She kept up the silence as they drove out of the supermarket car park and through Cheltenham towards their home. It was no good Bernie asking her daughter to help her with the shopping, because she'd already pulled out her house key and let herself into the house.

"Dad?" Bernie called as she entered the kitchen, dumping the bags on the table and looking over her shoulder. "You here?"

"Mama?"

Following the sound of Charlotte's shout, pausing only to make a quick fuss of the dog, she found herself in her father's study. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of both her daughters leaning against the desk, identical smug smirks on both their faces. Furrowing her eyebrows as she attempted to work out how Elinor could possibly be standing in her house, Bernie shook her head.

"What are you doing here?"

"It took us around thirty seconds after you left to realise we didn't want to lose you two again." Elinor informed her simply.

"We?"

"We." Bernie whirled round at the sound of Serena's voice from behind her. "You made the mistake of not coming after me once, Bernie and I wasn't going make the same mistake."

Not saying anything, Bernie stepped towards her, eliminating the space between them and wrapping her arms around Serena. She kissed her fervently, desperately, as though she would die if she stopped. Serena buried her hands in messy blonde curls, opening her mouth to sigh and finding Bernie's tongue immediately caressing her own.

Charlotte nudged her sister, motioning towards the door. They crept past their mothers, although both were sure a bomb could drop on the house and neither would notice, closing the door quietly. Alone in the hall, they jumped up and down with excitement, hugging each other tightly.

"We did it!"

"It's unbelievable!"

Charlotte shot her a grin. "It's fate."


End file.
